Green is good.
Your kids never fail to amaze me. Some of them are quite familiar with basil and pesto. They know the names of their favorite pasta shapes and are pretty comfortable with ingredients such as pine nuts and good olive oil. Ah, back in the day, I was pretty comfortable with spaghetti and red sauce. But hooray for savvy young consumers who already know a bit about healthy choices.
This recipe was especially fun due to a small problem: Trader Joe's didn't have any fresh basil the day I shopped, so instead I bought two big basil plants in pots. The kids loved harvesting the fresh leaves! We washed and patted them dry, and then the sauce came together very quickly. This recipe is made in a blender or food processor.
Pine nuts are pretty darn expensive, so a lot of recipes like this can use walnuts interchangeably (if you're not allergic).
Here is a classic version that worked very well.
Ingredients
- 6 cups gently packed basil leaves
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and quartered
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Blend half of the basil leaves with the nuts, cheese and garlic in a blender or food processor.
- Add the rest of the basil until a paste is formed.
- Slowly blend in the olive oil.
- Taste, and adjust seasonings and oil. You want a smooth, uniform paste.
- Serve over pasta or however you like. The sauce can be served warm, room temperature, or cold.
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