I am a big basil fan. I grow lots of it in my garden over the summer months, but once September comes I need to harvest it before the first hard frost. A great way to do this is by making a batch or two of fresh basil pesto and freezing it for use over the winter months. Here's how to do it:
Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe
2 C. fresh basil, chopped and packed
1/4 C. toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley (optional)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 C. fresh grated Parmesan (not the kind in the can – use the real stuff)
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
(Thanks to the forum members that helped me come up with this great basic recipe)
Once you've got your fresh basil pesto, spoon it into a clean ice cube tray and freeze it. The recipe above yields about 8-10 cubes. Once it is frozen, pop the cubes out of the ice cube tray and transfer to a zip-top freezer bag. Thaw when needed and enjoy!
Thanks for recipe! Just made this, and it’s great… but very garlic-y. In comparison to another recipe I found that was double the yield of yours, it had the same amount of garlic. I would use yours again, but only 1.5 cloves of garlic. (I like garlic, but my man does not, so it will depend what I’m making that will mask the garlic a bit for him)