Walnut Basil Pesto

After a long afternoon of menu R&D [research & development] I raided my herb garden for a simple weeknight meal. I love this pesto recipe because you can tweak it and make it your own with whatever you've got on hand. Pesto generally contains nuts, herbs, garlic, oil, cheese, salt and pepper. The classic combination is pine nuts, basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. You can use any nuts, herbs, cheese, or oil that you have though. Here is the combination I went with tonight: 

Pesto

ingredients 

1 c walnuts

5 c basil leaves

8 cloves garlic

1 1/2 c olive oil

1 c parmesan cheese

1 t salt

1 t fresh cracked pepper

method

1. Pulse walnuts and garlic in food processor. Add basil, salt , and pepper. Pour oil in as its pulsing. Lastly, add cheese and blend well. 

2. store in airtight container with plastic film on top or a layer of oil - air is the enemy of pesto and it will start to brown if  exposed to oxygen 

I served my pesto rather simply - tossed with linguine. 

Great weeknight meal.  Major crowd pleaser.