How to Make Pesto
with
Rachel Edelman
A traditional Italian sauce, pesto contains fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil. Try it with pasta or in recipes.
Transcript: How to Make Pesto
Hi, I'm Rachel Edelman for About.com Food. Today I'm going to show you how to make a pesto sauce using fresh basil.Pesto Ingredients
For a traditional pesto, I will use:- 1 cup basil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic
- 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Prepare the Fresh Basil
First, wash your basil leaves and pat them dry with a towel. Remove the leaves from the stems and place them into your measuring cup. You want about 1 cup of packed-down leaves.Combine the Pesto Ingredients
Put your basil into the food processor and add the garlic, cheese, and pine nuts. Instead of pine nuts, you could also use cashews, or you could omit the nuts completely.Lock your lid into place, turn on the food processor, and mix until you have a paste. This may take 10 to 20 seconds, depending on your mixer.
If you see clumps of basil piling up on the sides, you can use your spoon to scrape them down.
Mix in the Olive Oil and Salt
Turn the food processor back on, and slowly pour 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil. This will help integrate the oil in with the other ingredients.Next, add a pinch of salt. Keep mixing until it's well blended.
Use your pesto for dinner tonight, or you can save some of it by freezing it in an airtight container. This sauce is great for a light summer pasta or to add to a nice winter soup.
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