Basil Pesto is one of those things that take me under 5 minutes to get together but it does not taste 5 minutes simple. I’ve had some good and bad years with herbs, luckily this year was good! Eventhough I had 3 successful basil plants this year I always have the opportunity to go to  Haymarket on Fridays and Saturdays. I can’t pass up the chance to get a HUGE bundle of basil for $1-$2. Plus haggling for a box of strawberries or tomatoes is always fun, plus the rabbits enjoy it.

So I take out my Magic Bullet to blend the pesto. A food processor or blender works well to whip up a batch quickly. It’s fast and easy to clean- just throw it in the dishwasher! Enjoy with pasta or with bread.

Summer Basil Pesto

2 cups of fresh basil

1 tablespoon of chopped garlic

2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese

1/8 cup of toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup of extra virgin oil olive

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

Salt and Pepper

Toast pine nuts in a dry pan. Be careful not to burn them! Combine all ingredients in a food processor. If pesto is very thick add more oil or some water- if making pasta add in reserved pasta water.

I used my basil the last time I made pesto and I perfer to add the pine nuts to the pesto after it has been processed, I like the difference in texture.