Basil Bounty

We had a VERY hot summer in Northern NJ. My lawn suffered. Weeds flourished. I worked for brief periods on maintaining the gardens only to hear my name being called by margaritas and chilled chardonnay... But fear not! The herbs evidently LOVE LOVE LOVE the heat.

With fall approaching, I know my days of stepping out my back door and clipping fresh herbs for my cooking are waning. Time to use them up, dry and bottle some, and to dream of next year's plantings.

My absolute favorite use of this summer's bounty is making basil pesto. I'll use some on pasta and chicken dishes this week...or maybe on baked potatoes or toasted baguette slices. The rest will be scooped into zip bags and frozen for later...I just love a pesto dish on a cold and freezing winter night. Tastes like summer while the snow piles up outside.

Try the following from 'Simply Recipes' with your own basil bounty:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil *(I use 1/4 c. olive oil and 1/4 c. chicken or vegetable broth)
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup.