Basics: Pesto

Pesto is one of those things that sound scary to make yourself but it's actually as easy as dumping things into a food processor. Can you dump ingredients into a food processor? Then you're set. I mean, you also need to be able to turn it on, and handle a spatula, but I have faith in you.

PESTO
Ingredients:
2-3 cups of fresh basil*
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup walnuts, pine nuts, or sunflower seeds
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grated romano cheese (or parmesan)
salt & pepper to taste

To make:
Dump the first three ingredients into your food processor. Turn it on and let it pulverize the ingredients. This is a good time to take a sip of that wine I know you're pretending you're not drinking.

With the motor running, add the olive oil in a slow & steady stream until it's all incorporated. You will need to stop it and scrape the pesto down the sides with a spatula a couple of times.

Turn it off and add your cheese, salt and pepper. Pulse it until combined and then taste and check the seasoning. It might need more salt, unless you're like me and just pour tons of salt into everything. If you're not like me, then you'll probably need more salt.

Enjoy, refrigerate, or freeze. Note that it will turn brownish in the freezer. It helps to put a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pesto before refrigerating or freezing to help with this.

*Sometimes when I'm feeling sneaky, I substitute bagged baby spinach for all or most of the basil. Sometimes I even use arugula. The kids won't notice. Your husband might, but your kids won't. Just make sure the spinach is really dry before starting this recipe.