Sweet and Peppery

Last March I purchased several herbs with the intent to "grow my own food."  After re-potting and several attempts at relocating, my basil plant flourished.  I was given specific directives by the AMAZINGLY helpful staff at Shades of Green and I have abided by them diligently.  They told me basil does not appreciate temperatures under 68 degrees.  Given the (however tardy) change in weather the time has come to create something with the copious leaves I was blessed with.  

Rather than freeze the leaves, I decided to make pesto.  I used a recipe from Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentiis (the second sexiest woman in television...is it weird they are all chefs?).

www.giadadelaurentiis.com

I doubled the recipe since I had over 4 cups of basil leaves.  Admittedly...I over-toasted the pine nuts by about a minute or two but it was not terribly detrimental to the overall flavor.

Next time I will be more mindful about picking the leaves, washing the leaves and allowing them to dry a little more thoroughly.  I tried to soak all the water off them by dabbing them over and over.  They flattened out quite a bit and I just felt sad to see their fluffy spring-i-ness eliminated.  In the end it makes no difference.  However, I imagine excess water could do some damage to the overall finished product.

My food processor and I are slowly entering into a special relationship...similar to the one I've got going on with the Kitchenaid Mix Master.  I grated the Parmigiana myself and it was so fresh and buttery...it was a perfect final addition to the recipe.  

I used part of it over a block of cream cheese for an event I hosted at CBCST last week.  I also lightly coated whole wheat pasta and used it in my crispy chicken wrap.  It was delicious...if I do say so myself and I TRULY believe the fresh aspect made it 100% yummier!  The best part was the satisfaction of growing, creating AND consuming!  Being "green-ish" DOES, in fact, feel pretty sexy!