It's all about cooking seasonal, folks!
It's all about preserving summer flavor!
It's all about health benefits of fresh herbs!
If you're looking for a versatile and flavorful sauce to elevate your everyday dishes, look no further than pesto sauce. This vibrant green sauce, coming from Genoa, Italy, is a staple in Italian cuisine and can be used in a variety of ways—from pasta and sandwiches to salads, dressings, and pizzas.
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Making pesto at home and freezing it is incredibly easy and allows you to enjoy its fresh, aromatic flavors whenever you like.
Why freezing herbs?
Freezing is one of the easiest ways to preserve herbs while retaining their fresh flavor. And that's what I do every year, during a seasonal stock up in my freezer with individual portions of pesto sauce, to be ready for a Friday pizza night. My children ask for it every week. That's our little tradition to have our sourdough pizza crust with aromatic red sauce and cheese; simple and delicious.
Here is another recipe on how to preserve herbs by making Compound Butter
Why Homemade Pesto is Better?
Homemade pesto is superior to store-bought versions due to its freshness, flavor, nutritional benefits, customization options, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and the sheer enjoyment of making it yourself. So, the next time you're craving this delicious green sauce, consider whipping up a batch of homemade pesto and savor the difference!
Here are some key reasons in my opinion why homemade pesto is better:
Ingredient Quality: When you make your own pesto at home, you can select the freshest and highest quality ingredients. Fresh basil leaves, high-quality extra virgin olive oil, and freshly grated real Parmesan cheese provide to a more vibrant and aromatic pesto.
Flavor Control: Homemade pesto allows you to adjust the flavors to your liking. You can control the amount of garlic, nuts, lemon juice, cheese, and oil, creating a pesto that perfectly suits your taste preferences.
No Preservatives: Store-bought pesto often contains preservatives and artificial additives to extend its shelf life. If you like to follow a clean food diet, homemade pesto is the way to go.
Bulk Ingredients: Buying ingredients in bulk can be more economical, especially if you grow your own basil or purchase nuts and cheese in larger quantities (like I do). Making pesto at home can save you money in the long run compared to frequently buying small jars of store-bought pesto.
Healthier Oils: When making pesto at home, you can use high-quality, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, which retains more nutrients and beneficial compounds compared to the oils often used in commercial pesto such as canola or soy oil.
Ingredient Variations: Homemade pesto allows for endless customization. You can experiment with different types of nuts (such as cashew, walnuts, almonds, etc.), cheeses (such as Pecorino Romano or combination of two-three cheeses), and greens (like spinach or arugula) to create unique flavors. Dietary Adjustments: If you have dietary restrictions or preferences, homemade pesto is easily adaptable. For example, you can make dairy-free pesto by omitting the cheese.
Try this recipe that I create for Orthodox Christian fast restriction Baked Sea Bass with a Vegetable-Pesto Sauce. Gluten And Dairy Free.
Here, our favorite way to use up this sauce is to make a pizza, I like to blend in into a red pizza sauce.
How to Store Homemade Pesto?
As I mentioned earlier, I like to make this in big batches to store for later. If you don’t have that much basil on hand, then it also works well in the fridge and can keep for up to 2 weeks. To avoid discoloring, simply pour on top more olive oil, then cover with lid and place into the fridge.
For an easy single-serve version I also like to pour the pesto into an ice cube tray or silicone cups and freeze. Then simply pop them out and store the cubes in a freezer-safe container. This way you can thaw out as many cubes as you need at a time.
Freezer storage tip: Add the pesto to a silicone mold and freeze on a tray, then pop out and move into freezable zip lock bag and label it. Can be used within 6 months. Then you can pop one out every time you’re ready to use...just make sure they are hard frozen before you pile them together in a zip lock bag.
The Rough Recipe for Pesto Sauce
5-6 cups or so of sweet basil (feel free to mix in some other herbs such as chives)
6-10 cloves of garlic
1-2 teaspoons pink salt
1 teaspoon black pepper (optional)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Juice of 2 lemons
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces of parmesan cheese
1 cup of nuts (pine nuts would be ideal, but any nuts can do, this time I used cashew).
Directions
Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend everything together.
Stop and scrape once a while.
Then when consistency becomes nice and smooth, pour into individual silicone cups.
Freeze. (Check the tips on freezing above).
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