Presto Pesto!

I was just asked to share this recipe here on the blog, so that is just what I’ll do. Funny, because I just thawed out some of these babies yesterday to make dinner (I’ll share that one, too!) I LOVE pesto! My husband and I both do!

When I was in my 20’s, so like a million years ago, I was a waitress at an Italian restaurant. This was my first experience with pesto. My husband initially gagged at the look of it, it’s not the prettiest site! But once he tasted it, he was hooked! He ordered the same pesto dish EVERY single time he came in to see me – which was a LOT of pesto! 😉

So…now I just whip it up myself. Easy peasy!  I get fresh basil and garlic (sometimes the garlic scapes, which work well too!) at the farm where we are CSA members (community-supported agriculture). After I make a big batch (and a little goes a long way!), I like to freeze it and then pop out a few cubes at a time for different dishes I make. You can spread it on pizza, add to soups and sautéed veggies, chicken, fish… lots of stuff! Check out how easy it is to make it!

Pesto
Add to food processor (a blender will work too, might just take some stopping and starting):

• 2 C. packed basil leaves
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 C. pine nuts (walnuts work well too)
• 1/4 C. grated parmesan
• 1 t. lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. *Give it a whirl just to blend
2. Drizzle 1/4 – 1/2 C. Olive oil while spinning until desired consistency.
3. Yum!

Now bust out your ice-cube trays and fill ’em up! Once they’re frozen, pop them out and put them into a freezer bag and save for a rainy, sunny, or partly cloudy day! 🙂

So then yesterday I says to myself, “Self, let’s make some shrimp for dinner!”.

Pesto Shrimp

• 1-1.5 pounds raw shrimp
• apx. 4 pesto cubes (thawed)
• 7-10 wooden skewers (soaked in water to prevent burning) or metal skewers if you want to avoid soaking