I love the problem of too much basil. Whether it’s from your garden or the farmer’s market or left on the doorstep in a produce hit and run, I can always find some way to use it up. Caprese salad and pesto are my go to recipes.
Ingredients
3 cups packed fresh basil leaves (approximately one large bunch) 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 garlic clove, minced 1/3 cup toasted walnuts 1/3 cup olive oil 1/3 cup grated parmesan salt and pepper to taste 1 lb freshly cooked hot pasta of your choice (I use penne or fusilli)
Instructions
Place basil, garlic, walnuts and olive oil in a food processor and process until a rough paste forms, scraping down the sides.
Transfer pesto to a large bowl, mix in parmesan and season with salt and pepper.
Add hot pasta a little bit at a time, mixing thoroughly, until you have a nice coverage of pesto on all the noodles. I often use about 3/4 of the pasta or all of it, depending on how pesto-y I want my pasta to be.
Serve with extra parmesan for sprinkling on top.
Notes:
After many failed attempts to store basil and keep it fresh, I've settled on the following method: cut basil stems like you would fresh flowers and place the bunch of basil in a mug partly filled with fresh cold water. Pull a large ziplock bag over the leaves and leave it tented over the mug in the fridge until ready to use.
Pesto freezes beautifully. Leave out parmesan before freezing it and then add the parmesan after pesto is defrosted and ready for use.