Basil Abundance

Remember that burly basil bush from the last post?  Here's one way you can use your basil:

SPINACH BASIL PESTO 

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1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves

3/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Blend the spinach, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor until nearly smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary. Drizzle the remaining olive oil into the mixture while processing until smooth. (Courtesy of allrecipes.com)

 

I substitute walnuts for pine nuts. I throw in two or three cloves of garlic - I don't want to smell like garlic the next day!  I don't have a food processor and my blender does a fine job. One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you can freeze the pesto in an ice cube tray and pop out a couple cubes to toss in with some pasta. I filled an ice cube tray just before my third baby was born.  Anything to make dinner prep a little easier!

Do you have a favorite basil recipe?