Have you ever pinched a tomato stem? Slapped a basil leaf across a warm, open hand until your palm was deeply perfumed? These, to me, are the heady scents of late summer, and I'm reveling in them even as I start to crave the moody mornings of autumn. There's no better way to capture the sharply green fragrance of basil than by embalming it in a devil-may-care glug of olive oil and a handful of good parmesan. My pesto recipe stays well within the time-honored confines of tradition while leaning on the modern convenience of a food processor (but if you're feeling romantic and want to use a mortar and pestle, by all means do). It's perfect and easy and everything you want pesto to be. I eat it by the spoonful.
Ingredients
2 cups basil leaves (from one large bunch)
2 heaping Tbsp pine nuts
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan (about 4 oz)
1 tsp kosher salt
Directions
Pick and clean your basil leaves. If using a block of parmesan, cut it into rough chunks and add it to the bowl of your food processor. Blend until it's been grated into a course sand. Remove from the food processor and set aside.
Add the basil, garlic, salt and pine nuts to the food processor and blend until it comes together in a thick paste.
Slowly stream in the olive oil until well combined, then add 1/2 cup of the grated parmesan and blend until just combined.
Leftover pesto will last a few days in the fridge (adding a thin layer of olive oil on top can help keep it fresh), and it also freezes well—ice cube trays work well for this.
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