Pesto

   Here it is mid-October, and the little basil plant I put in my front garden last spring is huge (no frost yet). I haven’t tended it much—just pinched off flowers to keep the plant growing. Now the season is almost over, so it must be time to make pesto! That basil/garlic combo is irresistible.

Ingredients:

My basil plant!

2 c. basil leaves

1 ¼ c. shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

½ c. chopped walnuts

(or pine nuts)

1 large garlic clove, minced

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

1/3 c. olive oil

     My recipe is heavy on oil, cheese, and nuts! I like walnuts because they are milder than pine nuts. If you want to increase the proportion of basil, go ahead! Also, if you want to substitute the basil with fresh spinach or even cilantro, that will work and you will get a different flavor.

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in bowl.

2. Process in food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a blender if you pulse it to achieve the correct texture. Don’t blend so much that basil becomes too finely ground.



My mini food processor—I have to do 2 batches



Ways to use pesto: 

1. On pasta.

2. With potatoes.

3. On toast or bruschetta.

4. As pizza sauce.

5. Anything you dream up!



Pesto pasta!



*Pesto Nutrition facts:

Ingredient	Calories	Sodium (% RDA)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)	Calcium (% RDA)
2 c. fresh basil	8	0	0	0	8
1 ¼ c. grated Parmesan	600	90	0	60	180
½ c. chopped walnuts	400	0	4	10	4
½ tsp. salt	0	50	0	0	0
2/3 c. olive oil	1280	0	0	0	0
Total (about 1 ¼ cups):	2288 kcal	140 %	4 g	70 g	192 %
2 Tbsp serving:	229 kcal	14 %	0.5 g	7 g	19 %

*Calculated from food packaging and the following website: http://nutritiondata.self.com

 I used “Kraft” brand grated Parmesan cheese, “Diamond” brand walnuts, “Morton” brand salt, and “Members Mark” (Sams Club) brand olive oil.

*Pesto Pasta Nutrition facts:

Ingredient	Calories	Sodium (% RDA)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)	Calcium (% RDA)
1 recipe pesto	2288	140	4	70	192
¼ tsp. salt	0	25	0	0	0
16 oz. pasta (I used “cellentani” shape)	1600	0	16	56	0
Total (about 11 cups):	3888 kcal	165 %	20 g	126 g	192 %
1 cup serving:	353 kcal	15 %	2 g	11.5 g	17 %

*Calculated from food packaging:

 I used “Barilla” brand cellentani-shape pasta and “Morton” brand salt.

     If you put leftover pesto-pasta in the fridge, it may get slightly dry. It will taste great with added oil.