Our recipe this month features Basil, which we use to make Pesto. Pesto is a sauce with origins from Genoa, Italy. The name comes from the Genoese verb pesta (Italian: pestare), which means to pound or to crush or ground with a marble mortar through a circular motion of a wooden pestle. The sauce traditional consists of crushed garlic, pine nuts, and fresh basil leaves. Here is our family recipe for Basic Basil Pesto!

• 2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
• 2 Tbs water – add more if necessary (a little at a time) to make sure all the ingredients blend together
• 1 ½ Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs toasted pine nuts
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• Pinch of salt

Puree herbs and all the ingredients in food processor or blender.  Store in airtight container and cover surface directly with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate up to one week.

Pesto can be used on pasta, sandwiches, meats or veggies.

If you have a different Pesto recipe, please share it with us.