Pesto is typically made with basil leaves, however it can be made with other ingredients as well such as sun dried tomatoes, coriander and even spinach. The base ingredients remain the same however: garlic, olive oil and pine nuts. Recipes may vary in the use of nuts from pine to walnut to cashews.
Traditionally pesto is made by hand using a mortar and pestle. The ingredients were placed in the marble mortar and ground to a fine paste or sauce. The word pesto is derived from the word pestle which is derived from a word that means to pound or to grind. However today very few cooks use the “old fashioned” methods. Although the old method may produce a superior pesto, because crushing the leaves helps release all the wonderful aromas more fully. Instead most cooks prefer those methods that save time and energy. For that reason I make my pesto in my food processor.
Additionally, traditional pesto is made with parmesan cheese. However because we are vegans we enjoy our pesto sans cheese and find it to be just as delicious. We hope you will too!
Basil Pesto Recipe
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Makes 1 cup pesto
4 Cups packed and rinsed basil leaves
2 large cloves garlic minced
¼ cup walnuts or pine nuts
¼ teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
Place basil leaves in food processor with S blade in place. Begin to puree leaves until they are all crushed. Add garlic, nuts, and sea salt and begin to puree again. Gradually add olive oil while pureeing the basil mixture. Blend until mixture is a thick, creamy paste. Add lemon juice and puree until blended.
Pesto is a wonderful, quick and easy raw food. It’s also a great way to incorporate more green, leafy vegetables into your diet. We enjoy our pesto as a veggie dip, pasta sauce, or filling for vegetable lasagna. To your health!
