Running and Pesto...
Broke an hour on the run this morning, 1 hr, 22 min and 36 secs to be exact. The heat and humidity could have been overwhelming but the cloud cover and very slight breeze kept me from overheating. So, I have my long run out of the way on the 1st day of the week and can look forward to some shorter runs this week!
Today is pesto day. John has been bugging me to harvest the basil before it completely goes to flower but I have been dragging my feet. I love pesto and except for harvesting and de-leafing basil stalks, chopping garlic, grating cheese and endlessly whirring the ingredients together, I like to make pesto....not! But, no time like the present to get past this agony.
John brought me flowers from Friday's Farmer's Market. Okay I am bragging just a little but the flowers actually tie into my basil post, note the basil stalks used for greenery.
As you can see, flowers abound amongst the basil leaves. The leaves had to be separated from the flowers, bugs and stalks before they were ready to whir. By the way, our new kitchen faucet is just great but I am not sold on the 30/70 sink.
Once the leaves are ready, I whir them, pulse really, in small batches in my food processor until well chopped.
Next the cheese, 2 cups for this recipe. Should be using Parmesan and Pecorino Romano but I only had Parmesan so it had to do.
Finally, a little salt, olive oil and lot of pine nuts (or walnuts, depending on what I have on hand) complete the final product. While a small batch of pesto is perfect for a summer dinner, we use pesto as a pizza base, on pasta, as a sandwich spread and John's son uses it as a dip for chips (he needs to put on weight). As a result, we make large batches of pesto and freeze it in single use containers.
