Nothing says summertime to me like a garden full of basil. Here’s my favorite recipe for a classic Pesto (although I do substitute walnuts for pine nuts if I happen to have them on hand).

I love it straight up on pasta and even freeze some in ice cube trays, to pop into sauces come winter.

Let me know in comments your favorite way to enjoy homemade pesto.

Pesto

★★★★★

Servings: 2 cups

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh basil leaves 

4 medium-sized cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup walnut meats (or pine nuts)

1 cup best-quality olive oil 

1 cup freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated imported Romano Cheese 

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Process the basil, garlic, and walnuts in a food processor fitted with a steel blade – or in 2 batches in a blender – until finely chopped.

With machine running, pour in the oil in a thin, steady stream.

Add the cheeses, a big pinch of salt, and a liberal grinding of pepper. Process briefly to combine. Remove to a bowl and cover until ready to use.

Yield: 2 cups, enough to sauce 2 pounds of pasta

• After making the fresh basil pesto recipe pour it into an ice cube tray- in 1 ½ tablespoon portions. Top each cube with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
• Put the ice cube tray in the freezer.
• After a couple hours the pesto cubes will be frozen, pop them out and store them in a freezer safe bag.
• You can keep the cubes in the freezer for up to 6 months.
• Pull out the delicious homemade pesto 1, 2, or 8 cubes at a time to add to your recipes.