Stashing containers summer’s pesto is the simplest squirrel-like getting-ready-for-winter food ever. When fresh basil is garden plentiful, pull out the food processor and whip up a batch. This pesto freezes beautifully–all winter long, when you want pesto for pasta or pizza, there’s a stash of basil walnut pesto ready to use!
Using a food processor, this pesto is quick to make–the work is in stripping the basil leaves off the stems. The garlic is super-easy to mince–begin your pesto by dropping whole garlic cloves in the work bowl while the processor is running and the blade is spinning. When the garlic stops hitting the sides of the processor bowl, it’s perfecty minced!
Compared to many other pesto recipes, this easy basil walnut pesto uses less olive oil than many pesto recipes–more basil bang for the buck. Not that extra virgin olive oil is a bad thing, I just think this pesto’s flavor and texture is dandy with less olive oil!
You’ll appreciate this budget-wise pesto. It’s made using walnuts and Pecorino Romano cheese in place of the more expensive pine nuts and Parmesan cheese called for in classic Italian Genovese pesto.
