This year my basil has been an extremely happy basil. It might think he can get through the winter,
but I know better…
It's November.
My first choice is to transform the aromatic leaves into a just as aromatic Pesto Sauce.
Pesto
(Enough for 4 lbs of pasta)
4 oz basil leaves (clean and dry)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 oz pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic
3 oz Parmesan cheese (in bite size pieces)
3 oz Pecorino cheese (in bite size pieces)
salt
pepper
the zest of 1 lemon (optional)
In a food processor, process half the olive oil with the pine nuts, the garlic, the two cheeses and the basil. If desired, add the lemon zest.
Add the rest of the olive oil while the food processor is running. Add salt and pepper to taste.
The sauce should still be slightly grainy. If it looks a bit dry when serving, add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or pasta cooking water.
I love Pesto with either Linguine or Spaghetti.
The basil I used this year was a coarser variety, so I added the lemon zest to brighten its flavor.
Pesto can be portioned and frozen.
