Pesto anyone?

This week I harvested about a wheelbarrow load of basil out of the garden. I decided to make pesto to put in the freezer for the winter. It's delicious tossed in with pasta or veggies or spread on a cracker or piece of bread with a slice of tomato...ok, my mouth is watering. It's very simple to make....a bit messy but well worth the clean up! I would recommend using the best olive oil & fresh parmesan cheese you can find. I never use the pre-grated parmesan (they put lots and lots of preservatives and junk in pre-grated cheeses to keep them fresh....ugh) and whatever that is that comes in the green can doesn't even qualify as cheese in my book. Don't use it.....I mean, ever.... not just for this pesto recipe.

Basil Pesto

2 cups fresh basil (give or take)- leaves only- stems can go to the compost pile
1/3 cup fresh parmesan
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
2 med to large cloves of garlic (more if you like it really garlicky)
approx 1/3 cup good quality olive oil (more if you like it runny)
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

throw everything except olive oil in food processor- sometimes it's better to drop the cheese and garlic in through the top with the blade running to make sure it gets chopped up good. slowly drizzle olive oil in the top until you get the consistency you want. you can also use a blender if you don't have a food processor. be patient....sometimes it takes a while for everything to get good and blended up....adjust seasonings for your taste buds and enjoy!!!! this will keep in the freezer up to 3 months.