Fresh Basil Pesto

I love the extra flavor fresh herbs add to a dish and basil is one of my all time favorite herbs. Fresh basil pesto is deliciously fragrant added to your favorite pasta, served hot or cold. I've posted this recipe before, but it's so good and easy I thought I'd share it again.

 

 

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Combine the basil in with the nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

 

Serve with your favorite pasta or spread over toasted baguette slices.

This recipe makes a little more than 1 cup.

 

 

What's your favorite way to use fresh herbs?

Fresh Basil Pesto

This spring, we planted four big pots of basil to use in our restaurant, Randelli's Gourmet Pizza. It's so much easier to grow it ourselves rather than having to order it from the produce distributor. But it seems the more we harvest it, the more it grows! What to do? Make some fresh basil pesto!

Here is a simple and delicious recipe. I ususally use Parmesan cheese, but you might want to try it with Romano or Pecorino cheese which have a stronger flavor. Most basil pesto recipes call for pine nuts but it's also good with walnuts.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.


2. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with your favorite pasta or spread over toasted baguette slices.
Yield: Makes 1 cup.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Our early spring vegetable planting is doing well and we are able to start enjoying fresh from the garden veggies!

There is leaf lettuce, radishes and spring onions.

Radishes are a tasty addition to a salad or serve with sea salt as an appetizer or snack.

Chives and other fresh herbs provide wonderful flavor to so many dishes.

Romaine lettuce plants, almost ready to harvest.

And my favorite, garden fresh asparagus.

Are you planting a vegetable garden this season? How does your garden grow?

Fresh Garden Herbs

I cleaned up my little herb patch in the vegetable garden and it looks like everything survived the snowy winter. I'm usually able to keep picking fresh perennial herbs up until Thanksgiving and then I use mostly dried herbs over the winter. It's such a treat to begin using fresh herbs again in the spring. I made mashed potatoes for dinner just so that I could add fresh chives and a little sour cream. Yum!

My favorite herbs are basil, chives, cilantro, dill, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme. Most of these are perennial, meaning a healthy plant will grow back each spring. Basil and dill can be grown easily from seed. As for the cilantro, we have a sandy patch of soil in the garden and grow cilantro in that same spot each year. Cilantro doesn't seem to like our hot humid summers, so after it flowers and turns to seed, which is coriander, we just let it reseed itself and then we have a new crop when the weather cools a little.

You can find herb seeds or herb plant starts at most garden centers, but if you're looking for something special, The Cook's Garden has a nice selection of herbs to choose from. You can order online or request a free catalog here.

photos from The Cook's Garden website.

Spice Up Your Life!

Did you know that a teaspoon full of spices can help boost the antioxident power of practically every snack, entree and beverage you enjoy? Here are some great tips to add healthful flavor to your meals.

Try the seven "super spices" - cinnamon, ginger, oregano, red peppers, rosemary, thyme and yellow curry.

Cinnamon - Perk up your morning coffee with Ground Cinnamon. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon over ground coffee before brewing.

Ginger - For a fresh fruit pick-me-up, try a light sprinkling of Ground Ginger on peaches, pears, cantaloupe, pineapple or honeydew melon.

Oregano - For a twist on the typical grilled cheese, prepare sandwich with sliced mozzarella cheese, sliced tomato and ¼ teaspoon Oregano Leaves.

Red Peppers - Serve bread with olive oil like it's done in an Italian restaurant. Mix ¼ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1/8 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper and sea salt to taste in small shallow dish.

Rosemary - Dress up ready-to-bake rolls. Just before baking frozen dinner rolls or ready-to-bake rolls, brush tops with olive oil then sprinkle with crushed Rosemary Leaves and Sea Salt before baking.

Thyme - Wake up your taste buds with Herbed Scrambled Eggs. Beat 1/8 teaspoon Thyme Leaves into 2 eggs before scrambling.

Yellow Curry - Turn tomato soup from dull to delicious. Add ½ teaspoon Curry Powder to 2 cups tomato soup. Sprinkle with chopped cashews.

For more tips and lots of recipes, check out the McCormick Spice website, SpicesforHealth.com.

And if you can't find the spice you are looking for at your local grocery, try the SpiceBarn.com or try searching on Etsy.com.