Pesto

I'm back from staying at my aunt's restaurant for a few days and have so many new recipes to share with you!  Since my family is from Liguria, and the regional dish here is pesto, I thought it would be fitting to start with that.

 

Pesto Ingredients:
2 handful of fresh basil leaves (no stems)
6 heaping tbsps Parmesan cheese, grated
1 clove garlic
pinch of salt to taste
olive oil

In a cuisinart or blender combine basil, Parmesan, garlic, and salt and pulse a few times.  Using a spatula, transfer the basil mixture into a small bowl.  Add olive oil to the mixture while stirring, adding just enough to achieve the consistency pictured above.

I'm sure everyone is familiar with using pesto as a sauce on pasta, but Italians use pesto in many other dishes.  Pesto can be used in dishes such as minestrone, or used as a dip for shrimp, smeared on top of fish, chicken, or bruschetta, or any other way you can think of using it.

You can also make larger batches of pesto and freeze some of it to use at a later time.  If you decide to do this though, make sure to pour a layer of olive oil over it before freezing to keep the pesto from changing color.