If, like us, you're struggling to figure out what to do with your rampant basil plants this time of year, here's the easiest pesto recipe ever. This is a no-miss favorite.
It's the rule of threes, in alphabetical order:
3 cups of basil, tightly-packed
3 (at least) cloves of garlic (I like 4 large or 5 small, but that's up to you)
1/3 cup pine nuts, roasted over heat (do NOT overcook - they get bitter)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup parmesan, shredded
Get out your blender. Add the first two ingredients first, and pulse till it's a sauced. Then add the last 3 ingredients in order, with a healthy helping of cracked black pepper added with the parmesan.
Don't salt it till you've tried it with the parmesan, which has a lot of salt on its own.
Empty out the blender over your cooked pasta (TJoe's farfalle is perfect) and mix well. For a full dinner, add some protein (we like TJoe's chardonnay sausage), some green salad, and a rustic bread.
Best with a full-bodied white, like a chard.
(Note: my Facebook friends recommend replacing the pine nuts with walnuts, pistachios, or almonds, which are all cheaper and easier to find than pine nuts.)
