Eat In. Pesto

I try to eat whole, raw foods throughout the day. My mini fridge and desk drawer at work are stocked whole pieces of fruit, almonds, and raw cheeses. Of course, I muck it all up at night when I eat something like this, but every once in awhile I'll do pesto--the most wholesome comfort food there is--made from my out-of-control basil plant pictured above. Cheap (if you stick to getting small amounts of bulk items, like pine nuts, at Whole Foods), easy, and beautiful on a plate, pesto warmed by ravioli is a wonderful dinner and makes you feel good too.

Well, here we go, another one of Heather's its-so-simple, no-real-measurements-to-speak-of recipes! Sorry, readers, that's just how I cook.


Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh basil
• A handful toasted or raw pine nuts (2 tablespoons?)
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  
• Grated Parmesan (again, 2 tablespoons?)
• Olive Oil (until it looks right! 1/3 cupish)
• A pinch of coarse Salt (sea or kosher) and pepper
  

Directions:

• Using a food processor (need one? check this), chop the basil, nuts, and garlic together.
• Add the salt, pepper, and cheese.
• Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while the food processor is running.
• Pause occasionally to check the consistency and scrape the sides.
• The finished product should be rough (not a paste), but well combined.

You can improvise on this method and add other ingredients: sundried tomatoes, spinach, even replace basil with other herbs--like parsley--as a base.

-- Heather Robertson