Basil Pesto

I've got one word for you. Basil. This year has been a tremendous year for growing Basil. And I don't know why. Last year, I nursed one plant all summer long and would scrupulously harvest 3 or 4 leaves a day to chop into a tomato salad or some such. I dreamed of making bowls of delicious pesto for sandwiches, pasta, whatever, but alas, the poor little plant never really was able to make enough for such an enterprise.

This year was different.

First, in early April, I seeded about 30 or so plants in 3" pots and put them into the cold frame with the other starts. All took. In fact, by May / June when I planted them out, they were looking already better than my poor little plant from 2007. I actually had too many plants and not enough space to plant them out, so I had to give half of them away to friends and neighbors. Already the season was looking good.

When I did plant them out, I made a brand new raised bed with galvanized 1" hardware cloth on the bottom to keep the pesky gophers out, and filled the bed with compost and oak hummus that I collected from under an old oak cluster. They seemed to love it. They grew nicely all summer long, but in early August, for whatever reason, they exploded. And my healthy plants turned into a giant hedge of Basil. Oops. Now I have to eat it all. Way too much for Tomato salads, even every night. Time to make Pesto!

I have spoken to many different Pesto makers, and each have their own recipe and special tricks. I like to make a very basic pesto. It is easy, not too expensive, and very yummy to eat. I start with the following 4 ingredients:
- Basil
- Walnuts
- Lemon
- Olive Oil

In this batch, I made about 1-1/2 to 2 pints of Pesto, which took about 8-9 cups of basil leaves (essentially a two quart bowl almost full), about a pint of finely chopped walnuts, 4-5 lemons, and a few tablespoons (maybe a bit more) of olive oil.

Alright, I hear half of you yelling already "Walnuts! That's sacrilege!" I know, I know, everyone who is anyone uses pine nuts. Well my personal feeling is that pine nuts are just too snooty for my taste. They are typically twice as expensive as walnuts, and I just don't really think the difference is worth it. So feel free to substitute the pine nuts if you wish. Sniiifff. (smiles)

The lemon is absolutely essential. And it is not to be used sparingly either. Without enough lemon, the pesto will turn an unappealing brown color almost immediately. It also helps to remove the bitter edge that Basil can sometimes have (esp. if you don't trim the stems well enough!). If you don't have lemon, use lime, or SOMETHING acidic.

First clip the leaves from the stems and place the leaves in a big bowl. Make sure to get any large piece of stem, even if you need to cut the bottom part of the leaf off to do it. I've found the stems can add a bitter flavour. This can be somewhat neutralized w/ lemon, but not entirely. So it is best just to err on the side of caution and try to get rid of all the stem you can.

I chop the Basil and the Walnuts separately in the food processor. I do it this way because I don't like to measure things out, but prefer to cook "to taste." Chopping separately, I can then blend the Basil and the chopped walnuts together in exactly the right proportion to my current mood. Typically, the ratio is about 1:1. I do, however add the lemon to the Basil just before I chop it. So put the leaves into the food processor, squeeze the lemons directly into the chopping bowl, then chop. I do this to try to preserve the freshness and color or the Basil as much as I can. it is amazing how fast Basil will turn brown when cut. Obviously, when making a batch as large as two pints, it is going to require several batches of chopping. Make sure you add the lemon proportionally, so each batch of chopped Basil is done w/ enough lemon juice.

Once the Basil and nuts are chopped, then mix them in a mixing bowl and add the olive oil, until the texture is easy to spread. Like I said above, 1:1 ratio of chopped Basil to nuts is a good mental starting point, adding the oil sparingly until the desired texture is reached. Taste, and add more lemon, basil, or nuts if necessary.

I'm sure many of you have your own yummy twist on Pesto making. Please feel free to comment and tell me how to make it better!