Basil Pesto with Lemon

I've made many types of pesto, and I make basil pesto every year when the garden is bursting with midsummer basil. For a few years now I've been making this pesto, and I don't think I'd ever make it again without the lemon, which brightens up the flavor and keeps the pesto bright green much longer in the fridge.

If you're using basil from the garden, start by rinsing it and drying well. I use a salad spinner, but you can also rinse it in the sink and dry with paper towels.

The 2 cups of basil used in this recipe means a 2 cup measuring cup packed with as much basil as you can fit into it.

Put the basil and 3-4 cloves of garlic into the food processor and process with steel blade until basil and garlic are chopped, adding 1/2 cup olive oil through the feed tube.

Add 1/2 cup pine nuts, 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice and process until well blended, about 1-2 minutes more.

Season the pesto to taste with a bit of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. I store pesto in a glass jar in the refrigerator, where it will last for more than a week.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed into measuring cup)
• 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (choose a a flavorful olive oil for pesto)
• 1/2 cup pine nuts (or you could use walnuts or almonds too)
• 3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese - always use fresh, NOT the stuff in the green lid container please.
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Instructions:

Wash basil leaves if needed and spin dry or dry with paper towels. Put basil leaves and sliced garlic into food processor that's been fitted with the steel blade and process until basil and garlic is finely chopped, adding oil through the feed tube as you process. (You may need to take off the lid and scrape the sides with a rubber scraper if you have a hard time getting the basil all chopped.)

Add pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice to the chopped basil mixture and process 1-2 minutes more, until the pesto is mostly pureed and well mixed. (I like to keep it slightly chunky, but you can make it as finely pureed as you wish.)

Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper and pulse a few times more.

Store basil pesto in the refrigerator in a glass jar, where it will keep for more than a week. Pesto can also be frozen. Many cooking experts recommend leaving out the cheese if you're going to freeze it, and then adding the cheese when you thaw the pesto. (I've done it both ways and haven't noticed that much difference.)

Source:  Kalyn's Kitchen