Friday, March 20, 2009

pesto presto!

pesto

Easy homemade pesto, just like mom used to make should have made

Last night I was busy watching the Michigan basketball game with my insanely excited boyfriend, Erwin. While we watched a surprisingly well played game, I tested this easy homemade pesto recipe by Curtis Stone. The ingredients are simple (all I needed to buy was fresh basil) and preparing it took six minutes start to finish.

Homemade Pesto

  • 1 1/2 bunches fresh basil (about 1 1/2 cups lightly packed)
  • 4 ounces toasted pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Grind the basil, pine nuts and grated Parmesan cheese with a food processor until a smooth paste forms. Slowly add 1/4 cup of olive oil, grinding until a smooth sauce forms.

After the pesto was finished, I tried a trick my friend, Chan, gave me from his childhood. Using a clean ice cube tray, I spooned dollops of pesto in to the cubes and threw the tray in the freezer. So the next time we make pasta or wilted greens I can just throw a cube of frozen pesto into the hot noodles or greens and I'm done. Buh bye, pre-made pesto!

pestocubes

12 comments:

  1. Wonderful idea!

    http://nosceteipsumnoscevita.blogspot.com/2009/03/presto-pesto.html

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  2. Congrats on Michigan winning. I am hoping WI can pull the same off tonight! Genius idea with the ice cube pesto tray, I will have to try that. I can't wait until I can grow basil on my porch again.

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  3. @ Meaghan, I am glad you like the idea- I was telling my friend this morning on a run that I don't think I'm going to buy the jarred version again!

    @Rissy Kay, I know! Who knew Michigan would pull it out? I actually correctly guessed all the match-ups from last night on my bracket except for Michigan, my own alma mater. Go figure. I am thinking about trying to grow some basil myself now. I made a tomato, basil, mozzarella salad last night with a bit of the pesto and evoo and it was amazing.

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  4. looks scrumptious!!! Love the idea of freezing the cubes.

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  5. when my children were babies, i would make food like this, it was easy to puree, store in small batches, freeze and have at the ready to feed them.
    knowing that it was all made from scratch made me so happy.
    you will make a wonderful mom one day! cheering on and feeding the team!

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  6. how yummy! i've heard of storing pesto this way...it's a great idea. happy weekend!

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  7. such a fabulous idea and looks pretty simple!

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  8. MMmmm....I LOVE pesto--and it's the perfect condiment to dress up everything from pasta to sandwiches to chicken. you name it, i'll eat it with pesto!

    I have a recipe for a great vegan one made with toasted hazelnuts..I love to stir it into minestrone soup for an extra jolt of flavour!

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  9. This is my favorite trick! And I think our pesto recipe is identical. Great minds.

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  10. @ Bliar, PVE, Anon. Chic, Cupcakes: Yep, it tastes even better than it looks!

    @ City Sage: I am going to make some great, easy dinner party entrees with the pesto tonight. The vegan version sounds great in soup- never thought of that!

    @ Rachel: So funny we have the same recipe, I got mine on an Oprah show last week. It actually is for a tilapia dish: http://www.oprah.com/recipe/food/recipesseafood/20090227-tows-curtis-tilapia-pesto

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  11. Oooh, I really like this! We will definitely be making some too sometime!

    Did I ever give you my delicious hommous recipe? I think you would love it!

    Also, I should tell you, sometimes when I am feeling lazy or unmotivated after a long day at school, I read your blog so that I can get up the courage to exercise and make dinner! I'm feeling motivated already, I think I'm going to do it. You are my inspiration. :)

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  12. @ CB, I have not yet made the hommous recipe. To be honest, the Tahini is what keeps stopping me. I heard it isn't cheap, and there aren't many uses for it besides hommous. But maybe when I need to bring a appetizer to a party I will give it a try (and write about it of course!).

    And thank you so much for that compliment, I am so glad you enjoy the blog so much. Love you!

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