Pesto

3 cups fresh basil leaves

3/4 cup fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup walnuts

3/4 cup parmesan

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup melted butter

Put everything in a blender or a food processor and blend until smooth.

I like to make a few batches in the summer, when I can get fresh, locally grown basil and parsley from the farmers market. I freeze most of it for the winter – scoop it into a muffin tin, stick the tin in the freezer, then put all the little lumps of pesto into a ziplock bag once they’re frozen.

Recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook.

Pesto with Focaccia

Last night, I came home cold, tired, and glum. I needed something hot, so I made some focaccia, spread some homemade pesto* over the top, and stuck it in the oven. Fifteen minutes later, my whole apartment smelled like pesto and life was much, much better.

*I made a bunch of pesto this fall and froze it. Basil won’t be back in season until next summer, but I’ll post the recipe tomorrow so we can all bask in fragrant nostalgia.