Today is going to be a pesto day again.  The basil is going crazy.  I also have lovely garlic that I harvested.  When I last spoke with all y’all, I promised to share my basic pesto recipe with you.

Pesto

Every batch is different.  It depends on what I have on hand.  The basic recipe is:

• 1 cup Basil
• 1/4 cup Nuts (walnuts, pecans, pine nuts)
• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 2 cloves Garlic

Pesto ready to puree

Throw it all in the food processor and puree until smooth.  My food processor holds three batches.  You can make Pesto with other herbs also.  Simply replace the basil with cilantro, parsley or mint.  The Parsley version is really good with a nice steak.

I preserve my pesto by freezing it.  Heating up basil can give it a bitter taste, so I don’t can pesto.  My favorite way to freeze pesto is in an ice cube tray,  Here it is ready to go into the freezer.

Preparing to freeze

Once the pesto is frozen, I remove it from the ice cube tray and pack it into a freezer bag labeled with item and date.

Frozen and ready to store

I find that each cube is the perfect size for an individual serving.  This makes a very convenient and tasty lunch.

My 4 or 5 loyal readers are aware that I eat Paleo/Primal and cannot tolerate gluten.  I also try to stay low-carb, so gluten-free pastas are not for me.  I have however found the perfect conveyance for pasta sauces:  Zucchini Noodles.  I use this tool to make them: Paderno World Cuisine A4982799 Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable

Here’s how it looks in action:

Spiral Cutter

For a quick lunch, I make one zucchini into noodles and place in a Pyrex container.  I top the “noodles” with some protein (usually 1/2 of a spicy, pork sausage from one of the local producers), one cube of pesto, and whatever other veggies I might have around.  Sprinkle with a bit of Parmesan Cheese if you can tolerate dairy.

Lunch prep

At lunch time I microwave briefly and mix.  Yummy!

This is a great way to utilize zucchini during those times of plenty that every gardener experiences.