Pesto

From: Cappy Harrison <kharriso@mail.sas.upenn.edu>

Cappy's favorite pesto recipe (from memory. I'll check the recipe tonight to see if I got anything wrong. This is an adaptation from one of the Moosewood Cookbook pesto recipes.)

• 4 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 2 cups _freshly_ grated parmesan cheese (don't use that icky stuff in the green can! buy chunks & grate it yourself. It's worth it.)
• 3/4 cup pine nuts (but you can substitute almonds or walnuts if pine nuts are out of your price range. I buy pine nuts in bulk from one of the nut shops in town, whenever they put them on half-price and freeze them.)
• 1/2-3/4 cup olive oil
• 4 - however many you desire cloves of garlic, to taste
• add some freshly-ground pepper in there too, if you like
• If you want it creamy, you can add cream or milk, and I sometimes add tofu

stick it all in a blender or food processor. In a blender, I would suggest using more olive oil and/or milk or cream, to make it blend better.

Blend it until it's the consistency you like. Some people like it grainy, I like it real real smooth.

If you've made a big batch without milk or cream, you can freeze it. I use plastic ice trays, spooning some into each ice cube compartment, and covering the tray with plastic wrap. That way you don't have to chip away a big ole chunk of frozen pesto whenever you want some.

Be careful when defrosting the frozen pesto. You don't want to cook it. It separates & gets icky. I often add a little milk to the frozen cubes, put it on defrost in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and stir it all up to make the sauce.

I would suggest that you try some parsley leaves and REAL Italian Sun Dried tomatoes, it give's a less "greenish taste".

Please give me your feedback about it !

Eric Gagnon