Basil... Yum...

I love basil! I could find a way to make many meals with this delicious herb! I don't think you can use too much of it so it is very easy to cook with. Anyhow, I have just been away for about 3 weeks and my basil plants were a little overgrown and starting to flower. I am hoping to extend the life of these basil plants as long as possible so I cut the tops of the plants at the next sign of growth. I should have done this earlier but never got around to it!

I decided to make some pesto sauce to freeze for later in the year. I prefer to make the pesto sauce with out the pine nuts and Parmesan, that way you can always use it for something else if you want, or just add those ingredients when you want. I guess that actually makes in Pistou sauce, not Pesto, but I am not picky on names.

Pistou Sauce

2 cups fresh basil (firmly packed)

3-4 cloves chopped garlic (or more if you like)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

sea salt to taste

Wash and dry your basil leaves (stems removed), combine them in a food processor with the olive oil, garlic and salt.

I chose to divide the sauce into 2 small containers for freezing, you can also divide it into ice cube trays for smaller portions. This is great for soups and other things. Just freeze the sauce in an ice cube tray and once frozen, pop them out and put in a zip lock bag back in the freezer.

Pesto Sauce (the same thing just a couple more ingredients)

2 cups fresh basil (firmly packed)
3-4 cloves chopped garlic (or more if you like)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons pine nuts

1/2 cup grated Parmesan
sea salt to taste

Wash and dry your basil leaves (stems removed), combine them in a food processor with the olive oil, garlic and salt. Then add Parmesan and pine nuts until fully blended.

I also love to change up the Pesto sauce and make a creamy version. Just take the Pesto recipe above and add the following:

1 cup cream

1/2 cup feta cheese instead of Parmesan (or both if you love cheese like me!)