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BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

Basil Pesto

Basil Pesto Pasta

Celebrate summer solstice and an abundance of basil. Make a big batch of pesto - serve some tonight on pasta, and freeze the rest for future summer dinners.

Ingredients: 

½ cup toasted walnuts
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
¾ cup freshly grated parmesan
5 cups basil leaves, packed
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup good olive oil

Recipe directions: 

Place the walnuts, garlic and parmesan in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Pulse until everything is finely ground. Add the basil leaves, salt and pepper and put the top back on the processor. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube until the pesto is pureed. Adjust the salt and pepper to your taste. 

If you are storing the pesto (in the fridge or the freezer), transfer it to a sealable container and pour a very thin layer of olive oil over the top so that the pesto doesn’t turn brown. If you are serving it with pasta, save a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water and add it to the cooked pasta along with the pesto, then use a pasta server or tongs to toss the pasta and pesto together, making sure all the pasta is coated with the sauce.

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