Pesto
A basil-forward pesto designed for immediate use or portioned freezing when an indoor-garden batch produces more basil than is needed fresh.
Makes about 1 cup.
Ingredients
- 2 packed cups fresh basil leaves and tender stems, washed and thoroughly dried
- ⅓ cup pine nuts or walnuts
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled
- ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ¼ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Method
- Pulse the pine nuts or walnuts and garlic in the Vitamix mini-chopper until finely chopped, scraping down the container as needed.
- Add the basil and salt. Pulse until the basil is finely chopped but still bright green.
- Add the olive oil gradually while pulsing just until the pesto reaches the desired consistency. Avoid processing longer than necessary.
- Transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano. Taste and adjust the salt or loosen with additional olive oil as needed.
Notes
- Pine nuts produce the more traditional, delicate result; walnuts are less expensive and give the pesto a deeper, slightly more bitter nuttiness.
- For a freezer-first batch, omit both cheeses before freezing and stir them into the thawed pesto before serving. Fully finished pesto can also be frozen, but adding the cheese later should preserve a fresher texture.
- A small amount of lemon juice may slow browning, but it also makes the pesto brighter and more acidic; test it as a deliberate variation rather than treating it as neutral.
- Use pesto as a sauce or finishing component rather than subjecting it to prolonged high heat.
Storage
- Refrigerate in a covered container with a thin layer of olive oil over the surface for up to 4 days.
- Freeze in small meal-sized portions. Once solid, transfer the portions to an airtight freezer bag or container, label them, and use within 3 to 6 months for best quality.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or add a frozen portion directly to food that is warm enough to melt it. Stir in rather than boiling aggressively.