My Genovese Basil from the garden did amazing this year. I had four gigantic plants that all produced tons of basil! For about 5 months out of the year we eat and enjoy fresh basil in daily salads and dishes. It’s soooooo good! Sometimes though there is just too much basil, so what to do?……MAKE PESTO! My husband is a proud Italian so the sound of putting up enough Organic Pesto for the year is music to his ears. We rarely eat pasta, maybe a few times per year. However, we love pesto to enjoy as a spread and as a dip, or even to make salad dressing with.
Italians are born with an oath on how to handle basil; never cut it. When you cut basil it tends to cut the cells of the basil which then does not give the maximum flavor. The proper method is to either tear, grind, pound, or crush the basil. I always abide by that rule except for when I make pesto. I embrace my food processor, because without it I could not whip up all the pesto I do in just a few hours. So sorry Italianos, sometimes a Mama has to take shortcuts! However, the organic pesto is still nutritious, delicious, and absolutely healthy.
All the ingredients in the pesto must be quality and of course organic. The obvious is growing your own garden basil. It’s more potent, delicious, and much cheaper for the yield you need to make pesto. Also, having quality olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is essential as well. We wrote an article on olive oil that you can read and learn what to look for.
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is another science. Purchase real Parmigiano cheese from one of those round wheels that say “PARMIGIANO REGGIANO” around it. That should be authentic Parmigiano cheese made in Parma, Italy. Of course there can always be knock offs lurking around. You don’t want the cheap stuff where no one really knows how it’s made. Real Parmigiano cheese is aged for a minimum of 12 months and inspected for quality. Get the good stuff and try to find a piece without ANY rind (so none gets wasted, unless you have a use for the rind), though you want to see some pieces with rind just to give you assurance that what you’re purchasing is authentic.
Lastly and most importantly you must roast your garlic for this recipe. It changes the flavor tremendously and in the right way, really. Trust me and try it, you’ll LOVE it. Enjoy your pesto for months and months to come! Buon Appetito!
[tasty-recipe id=”2107″]
