Foodie Friday: Pesto

Foodie Friday

Making Dinner Look Complicated, the Easy Way

Dinner time in our house is all about making sure those little mouths are fed. We don’t usually spend a lot of time on presentation because there’s not much time to spend. But there’s a simple way to dress up dinner when you want to feel like a master chef on a weeknight: Pesto. A few tablespoons can turn baked chicken into Italian Chicken – top it with some tomato slices and you’ve got a gourmet meal on your hands, with about 5 minutes of prep.

That said, I like to make my own pesto to keep on hand for just such a culinary occasion.

Homemade Basil Pesto

What You’ll Need:

4 C Fresh Basil Leaves (about 3 bunches)

1/2 C Grapeseed Oil + a drizzle or two

1/3 C Pine Nuts

2 Garlic Cloves

1 t Salt

How You’ll Do It:

1 – Toast the pine nuts. To do this, put the nuts in a dry skillet (no oil here) and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently for about 3-5 minutes or until golden. Take them out of the pan and let them cool on a plate for a minute.

2- Put everything in a blender and blend until paste forms. You’ll want a spatula to push the basil down every so often.

3 – Store your pesto in a jar and drizzle a layer of oil on top. This keeps it from oxidizing and will help maintain that fresh green color. It’ll keep for about a week in the fridge or up to six months in the freezer