food friday...pesto

When summer rolls around there are several food things that we really look forward to. The first Saturday there are strawberries at the market, eating a warm tomato straight from a vegetable stand, and a full pesto plant in our front yard. We are by no means gardeners, though my ideal self gardens, but we do plant basil every year. It is beyond easy to keep alive and a fun thing to plant and grow with the kids. Daily my boys pick and eat basil out of the pot in our front yard. Even better is that having basil gives us the opportunity to make lots of summer pesto, an easy recipe that the kids can help with.

Basil Pesto:
2 cups basil
3/4 cup parmesan
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup nuts (i usually use walnuts, but i think originally it calls for pine nuts)
3/4 tsp salt
some ground pepper
3 cloves garlic (i like garlic so sometimes more)

Put all ingredients in food processor until well mixed.
I usually double or triple the recipe and freeze the extra for a fall or winter day when i need to think of summer.

A single recipe mixes well with one pound of pasta. Good additions are tomatoes, shrimp or chicken, roasted squash, spinach or kale... top with a little parmesan and you have the perfect patio meal.