Saturday, August 15, 2015

Summer Goodness






I hope you are enjoying all the fresh tastes of summer.  Whether you grow vegetables or you go to the local farmer markets, fresh summer foods start with fresh locally grown food.  My poor little attempts at vegetable gardening send me to the farmer's markets.  There is hardly enough sun to grow much in my garden.

I planted four Big Boy tomato plants and am now down to one pitiful looking plant.  I do have a couple green pepper plants that are producing peppers!  Yay!

The star of my efforts this year is basil. Basil is just what you need to make great Italian dishes.  I remember the first time I had fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and tomatoes drizzled with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar--Yummy!  It's such a simple combination, but so delicious!  The Italians are masters at making simple meals with few ingredients.  Another great way Italians use basil is by making pesto.  I'm making pesto on a regular basis.  It's so versatile and can be just what is needed to add to a sandwich or pasta and elevate your dish.  Pesto comes from the Italian word for pounded.  Pesto can be made with a mortar and pestle, but I like to do it the easy way--in a food processor.

In honor of Julia Child's birthday today, I'd like to show you how I make pesto.  Julia taught me many things in my kitchen--and the biggest one is to use fresh herbs when possible.

Here is my simple recipe for pesto.  Wash enough basil and place leaves only in large bowl of food processor.




Add a handful of chopped, roasted pecans and a couple of cloves of garlic. You really can use walnuts or pine nuts in your pesto.  It's up to you.




Add a 2 or 3 inch cube of Parmesan cheese and process until fine.






We're almost done.  All you have to do now is put the top back on your processor and pour extra virgin olive oil in the feeder tube.  Add enough until it's a spreadable mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste.





I store my pesto in a glass container and keep it in the fridge.  Use up your pesto within a week or store it in the freezer for future use.  Some folks put it in ice cube trays and then freeze and store frozen pieces in a Ziploc bag in the freezer.

Pesto enhances so many dishes from pasta to salads to sandwiches.  It gives a fresh flavor to your meals.

I often saute' chicken and mix rigatoni and pesto for a simple dinner. Just add a salad and you're set!





In Italy, basil is always a token of love. ♥


22 comments:

  1. My neighbor made pesto using pecans and it is very good. I grow my basil in a container and it always looks bad this time of year. Do you grow yours in the ground? I think I need to clear away some of the hostas and plant my basil there next year.

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    1. Cathy, I grow basil in my raised bed that Grayden made for me last year. It is filled with compost. I have grown basil in pots, but the ground is so much better. I think they need more room to grow large. Basil does require as much sun as you can give it. ♥

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  2. Your pesto looks amazing. I recently tried it with parsley, supposed to do wonders for your liver, and it was quite nice in a more rustic sort of way.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. I've seen where folks make pesto with a lot of different greens, Amalia. I didn't know that parsley was good for the liver-interesting. I'll have to try that! xo ♥

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  3. I love pesto. Do you grow parsley? Parsley makes a great pesto too, if you like it {which I do!} I often put cashews in mine, but love pine nuts best of all. I'm thinking about using hemp oil too, as I take that for my aches and pains {which we gardeners do suffer from} and I love the nutty taste.
    Your suggestion to freeze it will be tried next time I make it! Great for making up a big batch and storing it. Thanks for the handy tip! ~~~Deb~~~

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    1. Deb, I've grown parsley in the past and need to grow some next year. I think it would do well in the raised beds I have. Since tomatoes don't do well there, I'm thinking more herbs would be in order. Cashews sound delicious in pesto--they are so flavorful. Hemp oil? Hmmm, I'll have to read up on it as I certainly have joint issues! Have a wonderful afternoon! xo ♥

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  4. Mmmmm! Many thanks for sharing your pesto recipe, Martha Ellen. Such a fresh taste of summertime! I've never grown vegetables. We are very fortunate that two neighbors have huge vegetable gardens and share their harvest over the fence! Fresh herbs from our garden really perk up our summer recipes, too. We are having hot August days with afternoon rains here. School has begun, so our neighborhood is quiet. Our perennial gardens are filled with sunny color. I'm cherishing these late summer days! Wishing you a great week ahead, Martha Ellen! ♡Dawn@Petals.Paper.SimpleThymes

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    1. Dawn, vegetables really don't do well in my garden, but I always am hoping they will! You'd think I would learn! How wonderful to have neighbors that gift their vegetables to you! It's always nice to enjoy fresh this time of year! I imagine your beautiful herb garden supplies you with a lot of fresh herbs.
      School starts early in your area. Most of our schools don't start until after Labor Day. Our grandson does start back to college this coming week. The summer has flown by! August has been quite hot here and we are in need of rain. Enjoy your sunny garden and have a lovely week! xo ♥

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  5. Didn't know about your last sentence. Interesting! Your photos are great--it makes me want to grow herbs.

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    1. I think many herbs have meanings, Dotsie. I know rosemary is for remembrance. Basil is quite easy to grow. ♥

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  6. A good suggestion for supper this evening! I've got to harvest my second crop of basil. I use the food processor too. So much easier, and I love having small containers of pesto in my freezer. The trick is remembering to use it!

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    1. I'm going to make more soon, Judy. It's so nice to have a stash to use during the cold winter months. ♥

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  7. I love pesto! I like that you have used pecans instead of pine nuts. I have a stash of pecans in my freezer, but I rarely have pine nuts on hand. Thanks for the idea!

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    1. Pecans are really good in pesto, Cheryl. It's a little different than pine nuts, but still yummy and fresh tasting. ♥

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  8. Oh Martha this looks delicious!! :-D
    xxx ooo Linnie

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  9. Oh, how I love pesto! I made plenty of it this summer using the basil I planted earlier in the season. Alas, the extreme heat withered the rest of the basil I had left. It happens every summer when it gets too hot, so I make sure to make as much pesto as I can while the herb is thriving. Yours looks delicious! I usually make mine with pine nuts, but have used walnuts and pecans too! I also love mixing pesto into pasta and white rice. Yummy!!

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    1. Dear Rosinda, I love your idea of mixing it with rice. I've never tried that, but I will try it soon. Our heat has returned also. We could use some rain so, I've been watering the basil in hopes to keep it thriving until fall. Enjoy your waning summer days. xo ♥

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  10. Oh, your pesto looks so good and I can almost smell it! ;) I've never made fresh pesto and shame on me. You make it look easy! I'm sure Julia Child would be so proud! thanks for poppig in to see me.
    be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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    1. Hi Shelia, you should give it a try. It's so easy and so delish! ♥

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