I’ve always been a big fan of pesto, but I rarely make the original pesto alla genovese. In my opinion, the basil available at most supermarkets always looks awful and always leaves me uninspired. When I first planted my basil, I could not wait until it was large enough to harvest without it looking like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree afterwards.

The weather has been awesome lately and all my babies have been steadily sprouting, pun intended. Since I first blogged about my gardening efforts, my basil plant has doubled in size. It was definitely time to prune and reap the benefits of my hard work.

Pesto
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup walnuts, chopped (You can toast them or not – your call!)
2½-3 cups of fresh basil
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Place the garlic, walnuts, basil, salt and pepper and about ½ of the Parm in a food processor or blender. While the machine is processing or blending, slowly pour in the EVOO in the feed tube until well combined. Stir in the remaining cheese.

I threw some sun-dried tomatoes in the dish for some color and acid. I also had some leftover gardein buffalo wings and tossed them in as well. (I actually just had the chicken. I stupidly threw out the leftover sauce!) The meal was filling and I was so happy with how green and fresh-tasting the basil was.

Do you have a favorite basil recipe? Send them my way, I need ideas!