Making Basil Pecan Pesto 2015

One inch of rain fell over Our Maker's Acres Family Farm during the month of July. The dry weather coupled with heat in the upper 90s and heat index values in the mid 100s have put the garden into a scorched mode.  I think cactus, probably would be thriving right now if I had them planted. One thing that is thriving is basil.  We plant basil from seed that we save each year, but we really don't need to as many plants come up on a volunteer basis from seeds that have fallen off of last year's crop.

A row of healthy basil

The basil are flowering right now and of course attract numerous bees.  You can see a big fat bumblebee in the photo below enjoying some nectar/pollen from the basil flowers.  As soon as the bees leave, I like to pinch off the flowering portion of the plant to entice them to grow more leaves instead of flowers.

Bees Love Basil

I like to go out to the garden with an 8 cup measuring cup and find plants like you see below.  Notice how the basil leaves are so vibrant, green and healthy.  You can smell the scent of basil just by standing near the plant.  I begin picking leaves off of the plant until there's really nothing left except the small leaves or any yellowed or insect damaged leaves.  The plant won't be harmed and after a rainfall, it will explode with new growth to replace the leaves you harvested.

Ready to pick

I pick with both hands, dropping the leaves in the Pyrex cup until it is full.  Then I pack the leaves down and begin again.  My goal is to get 8 cups of packed fresh basil leaves.  It doesn't take me long at all.  We're going to make Basil Pesto.  We do this every year several times.  Sorry if you've already read this in previous posts. This is so good we like to repeat every year.

8 cups of packed basil leaves

So I've laid out everything we need to make basil pesto on the counter.  The ingredients are few and simple.  Basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and pecans.  The recipe actually calls for pine nuts, and I love pine nuts, but those things are expensive!  We pick pecans off of our trees in the yard and we've found that they work GREAT in pesto!  (The price is right, too!)

Ingredients to make basil pesto

So here are the quantities of what you'll need.  Due to the size of our food processor, I generally cut the ingredients in half and do two batches.

8 cups washed basil leaves

2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups extra virgin olive oil

1 1/3 cups pine nuts, walnuts, or pecans (we always use pecans)

12 medium garlic cloves

Salt and pepper to taste

First, however, you'll want to soak the leaves in a sink that you have cleaned, thrashing the water about to loosen any dirt and dislodge any insects or worms that might have hitch-hiked inside.  Then I'll scoop out handfuls and run them through a salad spinner to dry out the leaves.

Cleaning up the leaves

First I'll place 6 garlic cloves and about 3/4 of a cup of soaked & dried pecans into the food processor with the chopping blade on and pulse for a little bit.

Garlic and Pecans about ready to be chopped

After pulsing for a bit, the garlic and pecans are chopped up nicely.  Now I'll add 4 packed cups of basil leaves a little at a time to the food processor and chop until there is just a green paste.

Chopped Garlic and Pecans

While the processor is running, I'll pour 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil to the processor.  This will liquefy the basil/pecan/garlic combo a bit and change it into a smooth consistency. 

Adding EVOO

While the machine is running, I'll quickly grate 1 cup of Parmesan cheese.  I open the top of the processor and add the Parmesan cheese.  Finally I'll sprinkle some sea salt and grind some black peppercorns to the top of the pesto, put the top back on and mix it all up.

Mix up the Parmesan Cheese, Salt, and Pepper - And then you are done!

Once it is all combined, we spoon it into sour cream containers and freeze for later use.

I'll admit, the green stuff might not look appetizing, but it is simply delicious,  We have numerous containers frozen in our inventory.  All you have to do is thaw and cook some pasta and then stir the pesto into the cooked pasta for a quick, delicious, nutritious meal.  Word of warning: After eating pesto pasta, check your teeth in the mirror.  This stuff is notorious for sticking in the cracks in your teeth, making for potentially embarrassing situations!