Serving Up Fun

pesto

Pesto

several bunches of fresh basil (at least 2 cups of leaves)

garlic (1/2 to 3 cloves)

Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese (start with 1/4 cup but you will probably need 1/2 cup)

olive oil (start with 1/4 cup but again, probably 1/2 cup)

pine nuts (start with a small handful, you might use 2 handfuls)

lemon zest (you might also need the juice)

salt

1. Put garlic and basil in the food processor and blend.  (We used 1 clove of garlic.  My kids really like garlic, but tend to say that things are spicy if there is a whole lot of garlic in the recipe.  Before I had children I would have used 3 cloves of garlic.)

2. Throw in 1/4 cup each of olive oil and Parmesan cheese.  Go ahead and add the zest of one lemon and a pinch of salt.  Blend again.  If you are using pine nuts you might want to toast them first.  They will still add bulk and taste fine if you don’t toast them.

3. Check your texture.  If the pesto is too thick, add more olive oil (or lemon juice if your kids like lemon more than mine do. ) If it isn’t thick enough add more Parmesan or pine nuts.

4. Have the kids taste the pesto, and adjust seasonings as needed.  Or as needed to make sure everyone gets to push the food processor buttons an equal number of times.

5. When you are ready to make pasta for your pesto, remember to reserve 1/2 cup of your pasta cooking water before you drain the noodles.  Once you have put your pasta in a bowl and topped it with the pesto, (we used about 1/2 cup of pesto for 8oz of noodles) stir in the pasta water to loosen the sauce.  Serve with more cheese at the table.