CHEF JEFF — ONE BYTE AT A TIME: Basil Pesto

With some nice basil in my garden ready for the picking, it’s almost time to put up some pesto for the winter. It freezes nicely and is a nice addition to a marinara sauce, or any pasta dish, for that matter.

Basil Pesto

2 cups tightly packed basil leaves (or use a mix of basil and parsley)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

¼ cup toasted walnuts or pine nuts

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

6 to 8 tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor, place the basil, garlic, walnuts (or pine nuts) and cheese. Process until the ingredients are chopped. With the machine running, add the olive oil in a steady stream until the mixture is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. All the ingredients in this pesto can be adjusted to taste.

Yield: 1 cup.

Approximate nutritional analysis per 2-tablespoon serving: 91 calories (93 percent from fat), 9 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 1 gram carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 63 milligrams sodium, 1 milligram cholesterol, no fiber.

Grab more food tidbits at the Chef Jeff blog at GrandForksHerald.com.

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