So, what makes a good pesto? It should be several things all at once: rich, zingy, light, luxuriant, earthy. A good pesto is bright, It should reflect each of the ingredients in it, all in one spectacular and assertively flavored moment. It should be pungent from the cheese and garlic, and rich from the olive oil. It should have a mellow, earthy tone from the pine nuts. It should be vibrant and fresh tasting owing to the basil. It should be a memorable flavor. Pesto is not a sauce that stands by the sidelines.

Here’s a trick to help keep the color bright and green: You don’t want to add too much heat to the pesto ingredients with the whizzing of your food processor’s blades. Avoid excess heat by freezing the removable blade in the freezer for an hour before making your pesto. Instead of the gradual process above, add all of the ingredients at once and pulse until it has come together for a perfect pesto. Scrape the sides of the bowl inside if needed to re-incorporate any flying basil leaves.

Good quality ingredients are important. You’ll find all of the ingredients at the Farm Stand – the basil (fresh from the farm), garlic (just harvested and amazing flavor), salt, EVOO, Parmesan, and nuts – usually pine nuts but can be replaced with raw almonds (most neutral) but you can use other nuts too – roasting them beforehand will bring out that distinct flavor.

BASIL PESTO by Cookie and Kate

INGREDIENTS

• ⅓ cup raw pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans or pepitas
• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves (about 3 ounces or 2 large bunches)
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. (Optional) Toast the nuts or seeds for extra flavor: In a medium skillet, toast the nuts/seeds over medium heat, stirring frequently (don’t let them burn!), until nice and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour them into a bowl to cool for a few minutes.
2. To make the pesto, combine the basil, cooled nuts/seeds, Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a food processor or blender. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue processing until the mixture is well blended but still has some texture, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary.
3. Taste, and adjust if necessary. Add a pinch of salt if the basil tastes too bitter or the pesto needs more zing. Add more Parmesan if you’d like a creamier/cheesier pesto. If desired, you can thin out the pesto with more olive oil. (Consider, however, that if you’re serving the pesto on pasta, you can thin it with small splashes of reserved pasta cooking water to bring it all together. See notes for details.)
4. Store leftover pesto in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. You can also freeze pesto—my favorite way is in an ice cube try. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag, then you can thaw only as much as you need later.