Tareasmil

3 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts (pignolia)
1 dash salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
Not to much prep for thissimple but flavorful recipe. Start by peeling and chopping the garlic. Then wash, dry and remove the stems from the fresh basil. If you are grating your own cheese and I highly recommend doing it yourself,now's the time to get it grated.
The traditional way of making pesto is with a mortar and pestle. Start by adding basil, garlic, salt, and pine nuts to the mortar and grinding them to a paste. Poundin the cheese. Finally whisk in the oil until you have the desired consistency.
As much as I enjoy trying traditional methods, I usually don't have the time or energy to bruise basil leaves so Ireach for my food processor and puree a batch in a matter of minutes. If you don’t have a food processor, you can also use a blender. Here's how I make my pesto sauce.
Add the garlic to the foodprocessor and mince. Next, add the basil leaves, pine nuts, and a dash of salt and pepper to the bowl of the processor. While the processor is running, slowly drizzle in olive oil through the feed tube untilall the ingredients are pureed.
You may need to stop the processor at this point and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula to get every mixed together. Now add Parmesan cheese and mix it intothe rest of the mixture. If the pesto is too thick, add a tablespoon of water.
Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. This should keep for 2 - 3 days in the fridge but freezes well ifyou want to keep it longer. Enjoy, RG
Making pesto is not a lot of work and the intense flavor and enjoyment of making your own may keep you from buying supermarket pesto in a jar for a while.Fresh Peach & Bacon Salad

10 oz. bag mixed salad greens
12 oz. sliced Canadian bacon
2 peaches, sliced
1/2 cup honey mustard salad dressing
2 Tbsp. Almond slices
1 tsp. sugar

Toast almond...