I'm not giving this up, not quite yet, but I don't feel as compelled to write here every week. Especially not in summer, when most of the meals I eat don't require recipes.
But some of them do have recipes, even if they are simple ones, and this is what I bring you today. For the summer, Jo is working on some city farms, and so there was loads of fresh basil that needed to be used up. You may be able to guess where this is going.
There was something pleasant about chopping while Daniel pulled basil leaves, a kitchen camaraderie that has built up over time.—See, the problem I am facing with this blog is how to make all this new again - I have written many times about cooking with Daniel, about how food brings us all together, about how joyful it is to share a meal with friends.
Everything is changing this summer, though, and it's hard to write about it. It's a hard summer in many ways. Not even the kitchen, not even baking, can help. Like a snake, I am growing out of my old skin. It's a painful process sometimes.
Anyway, this is barely a recipe, but because we used the best ingredients, it was so delicious. I went back for seconds, which isn't something that usually happens.
The Best Pesto
adapted from Orangette
2 c. fresh basil
2 tbsp pine nuts, heaping (we probably used closer to 2 1/2 tbsp)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. grated Parmesan
Here's how simple this is: you can chop the garlic if you like, and you should really use the good Parmesan and grate it yourself. But really, it's mostly important to make sure the basil and Parmesan are tightly packed cups. Then dump all the ingredients into a food processor (or blender, as we used here) and blend. I believe we used the "puree" setting. And voila, you've got pesto! Serve with pasta.
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