Basil Pesto

I tend my basil plants all summer looking forward to this treat. Once made, the trick is to keep my six year old from eating it all before me.

Ingredients
2 cups basil leaves, tightly packed.
1 cup toasted pecans
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cup freshly, finely grated asiago cheese (85 grams).
1/2 tsp salt

Preparation
1. Dry roast pecans in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes.
2. Cool completely.

Directions
1. Place all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.

Notes
This recipe will double well and freezes well. Pine or other nuts can be substituted for toasted pecans. Parmesan can be substituted for asiago cheese. This is excellent on most any meat from steak to shrimp. Try it on the grill. Your non-SCD friends will love it on pasta too. Try it on eggs too.

Freezing
I make a large batch of this and freeze it in one quart zip bags. Put about a cup into a bag, lay it flat and squeeze out all the air you can. This will keep well in the freezer for months.

Video:
Buying fresh basil is expensive so I grow my own. The one trick I’ve been taught is to prune the basil regularly to encourage more leaves to grow. It works great! Removing the flowering parts forces the plant to put its energy into growing more leaves, giving you a big basil bush. And who wouldn’t want a big basil bush? See the video for a demo of pruning your basil.