Oh hello overgrown herb garden. Nice to see you! What started as a modest pot of five itty-bitty herb plants has amassed into a pile of deliciously fragrant greenery, in particular basil and mint, which have apparently decided they own the pot.
This past weekend, one of my friends fell into the pot amidst our housewarming party, filling the air with the intense smell of basil and reminding me that I needed to figure out what to do with so much of it. Someone suggested pesto. I was in.
It is interesting to have made vegan kale pesto a while ago, where the ingredients list for your typical basil pesto is entirely different (well, it would have been, had I not substituted walnuts for pine nuts.) Yet the final products are remarkably similar, except for the obvious addition of basil, which simply translates to: both are creamy, intensely flavored, and wonderful on sandwiches.
Someone remind me about pesto again in a few weeks. The Wall Street Journal ran this article awhile ago about various oddball pesto recipes, and I think it’s fair to say that I would very much like to try them all.
BASIL WALNUT PESTO
(adapted via The Food Network)
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
