Dad's Pesto

I'm not sure when my dad started making pesto.  Maybe it was when my mom decided to grow a jungle of basil every year and had no idea what to do with it.  Thank God he started making it though because it's probably one of my favorite (fast) dishes of all time.

Basic pesto is 7 ingredients:  basil, olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, salt, and pepper.  The only tool you need is a food processor.  There are many variations of pesto too:  add walnuts, spinach, parsley, asparagus, different cheeses, and spices.  It's a very creative dish that's incredibly easy and oh so tasty.  As soon as summer comes around, I'll be experimenting with a lot of variations of pesto.

Serve pesto over pasta (the most popular way), salad, chicken, seafood, or dip veggies in it.  Add crushed red pepper and sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese over the top.  It also freezes really well- just add a thin layer of olive oil over the top to keep it bright green.  Enjoy!

Dad’s Pesto

1 cup pine nuts

1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese, grated

6 large garlic cloves (roughly minced)

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup good olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

In the bowl of a food processor, put pine nuts and Parmesan cheese and pulse until broken down

Add the garlic and basil leaves and pulse until broken down

With the motor running, add the olive oil slowly until mixture comes together

Season with salt and pepper (taste for seasoning)