Basil Pesto
Smooth and fragrant, this recipe makes enough for you to toss with one pound of pasta, serve over four servings of chicken breast, or spread on two or three pizzas.
Ingredients
Makes 1 cup
- ½ cup pine nuts
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cups tightly packed torn fresh basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Ice water (optional)
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Directions
Step 1: Heat ingredients
Heat a small skillet over medium heat, add the pine nuts, and toast them, shaking the pan often until they are golden brown and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a plate to cool.
Step 2: Blend
Place the oil in the blender, followed by the basil, toasted pine nuts, garlic, and salt. Select MANUAL/LO and blend, gradually increasing the speed to SPEED 10 and stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed, until combined. If the outside of the blender jar starts to get warm, add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the pesto mixture to keep it cool and help it blend.
Variations
PISTACHIO-MINT PESTO
Substitute pistachios for the pine nuts and substitute fresh mint for the basil.
WALNUT-PECORINO PESTO
Substitute walnuts for the pine nuts. Substitute 1½ cups parsley leaves for 1½ cups of the basil and substitute Pecorino-Romano for the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Pro Tip
To keep the pesto from turning brown, blanch the basil leaves before adding them to the blender. Just dunk them in boiling water for no more than a second or two, then plunge into an ice bath to cool.
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