Tantalizing Thursday

Welcome to Tantalizing Thursday on Chief 187 Chatter. With the Dog Days of August upon us, the last fleeting weeks of unofficial summer dwindling, and an urgency to not miss a moment, today’s recipe is fast, easy, and simply delicious!

Basil Pesto
Recipe by The Food Network Kitchens

Ingredients:

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

Directions:

Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
If using immediately, add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.
If freezing, transfer to an air-tight container and drizzle remaining oil over the top. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and stir in cheese.

This recipe yields 1 cup.


Pesto is a brilliant recipe to serve with pasta, spread on sandwiches, and added to soups. It is fresh, reasonable, and simple to prepare and requires no cooking which is very important during unbearably hot weather. The way my family loves pesto, I’d double, triple or even quadruple this recipe. And, it you would rather use Parmigiano Reggiano (the “King of Cheese”) in this recipe, by all means, do so; I do! Be sure to lightly toast the pine nuts to maximize their flavor, but do not over roast them or they will not taste good anymore. Pesto should not be heated through when serving with pasta as the ingredients will separate. Toss pesto at room temperature with hot pasta.

Let me know how you enjoyed this recipe, how you used it, and what other kinds of recipes you’d like to see in the future! Join me tomorrow for the week ending Friday Music Blog!