In Irish Encounter, Ellen’s daughter loves her pesto recipe. Since I’m making a batch today (for someone who’s coming home for the first time since March!), here’s the one I adapted for my family. Pesto is one dish that everyone in my house loves, so I make a huge amount—usually at least three batches when everyone’s home.
North Carolina Pesto
2 C fresh basil leaves, firmly packed
¼ C pecans (Pine nuts are the original nut for pesto, but my pecans are free here in NC.)
3 cloves garlic
¾ C grated Parmesan cheese
*olive oil
In a food processor, puree one cup of the basil with nuts, garlic, and cheese. Add second cup and puree. Pour oil slowly while processing.
*The recipe calls for ½ cup olive oil, but I drizzle the oil as I process the mixture. As soon as the mixture combines, I stop pouring; therefore, my pesto is a little bit firmer than restaurant-grade pesto.
Serve with hot pasta. We like angel hair. Adding a little pasta water with the pesto and pasta helps incorporate the pesto better.
We plant many, many basil plants as soon as May arrives so that we can enjoy pesto as soon as possible.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, too!
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