Hedden Family Recipes

Pesto

100 g basil leaves. The 4 oz. clamshell package commonly sold in grocery stores is just right. If you start with one or more plants including long tough stems, weighing about 150-200 g, this will yield about 100 g of leaves after the stems are discarded. If you decide to rinse off the basil, remember to weigh out the right amount before rinsing. It is possible to substitute sage leaves and/or arugula leaves for part of the basil, although the taste will be different.
200-250 mL (¾ to 1 cup) olive oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
150 g (5½ oz.) grated Parmesan cheese
50 g (2 oz. by weight) roasted pinenuts, chopped
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. white pepper
1 pound of pasta, preferably one that will hold the pesto well, such as fusilli, rigatoni, farfalle, penne, shells, etc.
Lightly steamed green beans or another vegetable of similar size and shape such as asparagus (optional) and/or carrots and/or lightly steamed mushrooms, or any other steamed vegetables desired.

Put on water for pasta
Put pinenuts in toaster oven and roast lightly for about 5 minutes, until they just start to darken. Be careful not to burn them.
While pinenuts are roasting, peel and mince garlic and set aside.
Once pinenuts are roasted, chop them up and set them aside.
Put basil or other leaves in blender and puré a little at a time.
Add olive oil a little at a time and blend together with puréd basil leaves. Once olive oil has been added, cover blender to prevent splattering.
Add minced garlic and chopped pinenuts to mixture and blend.
Add salt and white pepper to mixture and blend.
Remove pesto from blender and stir in grated cheese. (It is possible to blend in the grated cheese in the blender, but the mixture gets thick enough that this can be difficult. If you decide to do this, add a little at a time.)
Lightly steamed vegetables may be mixed in with pesto or served separately over pasta.
Serve pesto and steamed green beans over pasta, preferably one that holds the pesto well, such as fusilli.