Part of the fun of gardening like we do is eating with the seasons. While we have some year-round favorites/staples, there are also things we only indulge in when the required ingredients are fresh and ready to harvest. Pesto is one of those seasonal treats.

As much as it stretches me as a person, this is one of those recipes without precise measurements. Pesto, the way we make it, is very much a “to your taste” product. I’ll list the ingredients we use, and an approximation of the amount we used, and then you can experiment to your tastebud’s delight.

Ingredients:
Fresh basil, washed and dried
Pine nuts
Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Lemon juice, ideally fresh-squeezed
Olive oil
Sea salt

The Process:
1: Toast several tablespoons pine nuts, while grating a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. {We probably use 1/2 cup of cheese}.

2: Add a handful of basil leaves, toasted pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, a sprinkle of sea salt, some lemon juice and a heavy glug of olive oil to blender, and blend.

3: Add lemon juice or olive oil as needed, blending to reach desired consistency.

4: Make pasta of choice, then transfer pasta and approx 1/4 cup of pasta water to a pan. Add pesto, and stir until pasta is coated, adding pasta water as needed.

5: Serve and garnish with fresh basil and/or more grated Parmesan.

Note: You can easily add a meat before serving. We topped ours with skillet-seared Canadian bacon, but I feel certain grilled chicken would also be amazing.

We love using the giant fusilli noodles from World Market, because they catch and hold so much saucy goodness. You definitely want a pasta that will hold the pesto, I don’t think spaghetti/linguine/etc. would work as well.

This whole process was so quick and easy – the longest part was cooking the pasta. The basil was harvested and savored within 30 minutes, and that’s what I call a Summer feast!

Have you ever made pesto before?
What is your favorite pasta?