Classic Italian Pesto
Classic Italian Pesto
This pesto recipe will become one of your favorite sauces and can be used on pasta, potatoes, crostini, grilled shrimp, steaks and more.
Ingredients
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3 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
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½ cup pine nuts
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6 Kalamata olives
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½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
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3 large garlic cloves
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½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
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½ teaspoon ground black pepper
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2/3 cup of Pietro's Favorite Olive Oil
Step 1:
Remove the seeds from the olives. Coarsely chop the garlic first because blenders and food processors often don't do a good job on them.
Step 2:
Dump all the ingredients except the oil into a blender or food processor and let'er rip until everything is chopped fine, but not homogeneous.
Step 3:
Slowly drizzle in the oil while the blades are on a low setting until, presto, pesto, you have a paste. The fragrance is heavenly. It can be kept in a tight jar in the fridge for a week before it starts to brown. If you need to keep it longer, top it with olive oil as a seal. Or freeze it. It freezes very well.