Pesto Pasta

Commonly know fact:
Pesto is a great way to preserve your basil harvest before frost hits.

Less commonly known fact: 
The Italian sunshine present in pesto will help you ward off colds this winter.
Or more to the point, antimicrobial properties of parsley and garlic help your immune system do its job.

Even if you're not planning to freeze a bunch of pesto for the winter, it's actually a great tasting version of fast food. It will take you less than ten minutes to whip some up.

Start with 2-3 bunches of basil...

a bunch of parsley (or cilantro, or whatever greens you have lying around)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts (or save some money with almonds or walnuts)
1/2 cup olive oil
and 1/2 cup parmesan/pecorino/other hard cheese


Stick the greens and garlic into a food processor until blended. Add the nuts, and then the oil.

At this point, you can freeze the pesto for later use
                                                                                                    or you can add the cheese.

You can also try different textures, like blending only half of the ingredients and mixing in the rest minced.

This should make about 4 servings of pesto.  To use up the rest of your basil plant, double or triple the recipe.

Enjoy!

Pesto pasta with farmstand mozzarella cheese and heirloom cherry tomatoes.