Pesto

I didn't have all the necessary ingredients to make your classic pesto so I had to improvise. The missing ingredient was pine nuts although I most often use walnuts for their healthy omega-3's. But I didn't have walnuts either. So I used raw pumpkin seeds.

I put the remaining basil we had leftover from the bruschetta and pureed it along with some olive oil, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, garlic and salt and pepper. For a classic pesto recipe, I usually use Moosewood Cookbook. It's written by Mollie Katzen and her recipe is as follows:

3 cups freshly packed basil leaves
3 to 4 large garlic cloves
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Parmesan
optional: 1/3 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts
optional: salt and pepper to taste

Blend in Cuisinart.

I tend to go lighter on the garlic than what her recipe calls for. I love garlic but I don't want it to overpower everything else.


These are locally grown organic tomatoes and they taste so wonderful. I had some organic vine ripened (which are usually the best in the grocery store) to compare them to and wow, what a difference. Fresh seasonal tomatoes are so sweet and delicious.