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Recipe: Basil Pesto (make ahead, food processor)

Toppings - Assorted
BASIL PESTO

"Here's another all-purpose spread, topping, and sauce. Spoon it over grilled salmon. Make it the sauce for pizza, or use it as a sandwich spread. Sure, you could buy the jarred stuff, but homemade is so much better. Pesto takes less than 5 minutes to make and it keeps frozen for months. I make it in August or September when fresh basil is easy to find. Then I just freeze it in a tub and scoop out whatever I need."

2 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
10 cups loosely packed fresh basil
2 cups grated imported Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

BEFORE YOU GO:
Put everything but oil in a food processor. Blend until finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of processor bowl, then add 3/4 cup of the oil and blend to a loose paste, about 20 seconds, scraping bowl as necessary. For a more runny pesto, blend in remaining oil a tablespoon at a time until thinned how you like it. Scrape into two small airtight containers and chill up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 year. Two containers allow you to carry just 1 cup of pesto at a time, since you'll rarely need 2 cups.

WHEN YOU GET THERE:
If the pesto is frozen, use a melon baller or spoon to scrape out the amount you need; small pieces will melt quickly when they meet hot foods. Or thaw and remove from cooler 20 minutes before using as a spread or dip.

NEIGHBORLY TIP:
If you'll only use a small amount of pesto at a time, drop the prepared pesto in 1-tablespoon blobs onto wax-paper-lined cookie sheets. Freeze until solid, then pop off the blobs and seal in a zipper-lock bag. That way you have 1-tablespoon amounts ready to go.

Makes about 2 1/4 cups
Excerpted from The Tailgater's Cookbook by David Joachim
Copyright 2005 by David Joachim. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
MsgID: 071656
Shared by: Betsy at Recipelink.com
Board: Make Ahead & Mixes at Recipelink.com
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