Homemade Pesto with Fresh Basil and Garlic
There’s nothing quite like the vibrant aroma of fresh basil paired with the bold kick of garlic to get your taste buds dancing. Homemade pesto is a celebration of simple, fresh ingredients coming together in perfect harmony, and the best part? It couldn’t be easier to make!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 1 cup of pesto
Equipment: food processor or powerful blender
Ingredients
1 cup of Fresh Basil. Rinse and pat dry before using.
1/2 cup pine nuts. As an alternative use walnuts, pistachios, or almonds.
3/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese.
2 large garlic cloves. We recommend roasting the garlic to bring out more flavour. (see instructions below)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice (2 small lemons).
Salt and pepper to taste.
Roast the Garlic
step 1.
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
step 2.
Take a full garlic bulb and using a sharp knife, slice off the top of the garlic head to expose the cloves inside. Use an oven safe dish and pour 2 Tablespoons of olive oil inside. Swirl it around the bottom of the dish to coat evenly. Place garlic head inside, exposed side up.
step 3.
Season garlic with salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 more Tablespoon of olive oil on top. You want it to have a nice coating of oil, so it doesn’t burn easily. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
step 4.
Remove from the oven. To remove the roasted cloves, grab the bottom of the garlic head and gently squeeze until the cloves pop out—they will be mushy and ready to chop up for your recipe.
step 5.
You’ll only need two cloves for the pesto, so store the remaining roasted cloves with a little olive oil. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Create the Pesto
step 1.
Wash and dry the basil leaves.
step 2.
Add basil, parmesan cheese, nuts, garlic cloves, lemon juice and olive oil to the food processor.
step 3.
Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
