This Pesto recipe is my absolute favorite…in fact, I’ve been told by many people that it’s their favorite as well.
A long time ago, back in the early 1990s, we were stationed in Philadelphia. A friend of a friend (I don’t even remember who) gave me a delicious Pesto recipe and I’ve been making every year since. What makes this pesto better than all the rest, in my humble opinion, is the addition of butter. Yes, butter! So you know it’s gotta be great, right? I’ve never seen a pesto recipe with butter in it. Actually, I’ve never actually looked for one to be perfectly honest so it might exist. Now, I’m sure this recipe is not authentic but the girl that gave it to me was Italian so I’m going with it. Whenever I ask my husband what he wants to eat, I can pretty much guess he’ll say pesto pasta! He loves this pesto so much I wouldn’t be surprised if I found him eating it with just a spoon and no pasta! Yes, it’s that darn good.
Freeze It!
During summer when it’s easy to find big bunches of basil at the local farmers markets or grocery store, I make up several batches of pesto and freeze it in containers to enjoy throughout the winter. It freezes really well and doesn’t turn an ugly color.
So Many Uses!
Not only is this Pesto delicious on pasta, I like to put it on Caprese Salad Stacks for a light lunch or appetizers. I also use it when I bake salmon in the oven. Grilled shrimp is delicious with it and so is chicken. Oh the possibilities are endless!
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Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 6 Tbls. unsalted butter
- 1 C. olive oil
- 2–3 cloves, garlic
- 2 Tbls. grated parmesan cheese (I usually add more – 4 Tbls.)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 C. basil
- 3/4 C. pine nuts
Instructions
- In a food processor, add butter, olive oil and garlic. Process until combined. Then add parmesan cheese and salt and process some more. Then add the basil and pine nuts and process again, but not too much. It’s nice to have bits of nuts and basil, not a puree. Add a little more salt if necessary and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese if you adding it to pasta.
- If it looks a little pale and you want more basil go ahead and add more. If you want less butter, use less. This recipe is very adaptable to your own personal preferences.