Welcome to our first official post. In these strange times, we want to give you easy and delicious recipes that you can make in your home, are long-lasting, and cost-effective. When I started as a prep cook, one of the first things I was allowed to do was to prep all of the ingredients for pesto sauce. This included picking a case of basil twice a week. This meant I smelled of basil for the rest of the day, which sounds awesome, but trust me, it gets very tiring. Due to this complication, it became years before I was able to make pesto again, but once I got over it, I remembered how great the taste is and how versatile it is.
Let's get to it.
INGREDIENTS
1 bunch Basil
1 bunch Parsley
2 medium cloves of Garlic
1/2 cup of Pine Nuts (you can also use Sunflower Seeds)
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1 Tsp Black Pepper
Zest of Half a Lemon
Juice of a Quater Lemon
1. Pick the basil and parsley leaves off the stems. Don't throw those stems away!
2. Add the leaves to the food processor first. This will create a cushion to make sure that other ingredients don't fall under the blades. No one wants large chunks of garlic.
3. Pulse blend and make sure to scrape down the sides everyone in a while to get the ingredients from the sides, it's all delicious.
4. Keep in a labeled container, it should last for 2 weeks. Or you can hack it and throw them in an ice cube tray, pop them out and throw them in a freezer-safe bag. Boom! pesto for a couple of months.
Now, I love pesto. When I add it to pasta with it, I like a good amount of it, don't be shy, you worked hard. Using any dry pasta, cook 2 minutes less than recommended to have it al dente. Toss in a pan with 1 tbsp per serving, and you are good to go! Pro Tip: When making a lot of pasta dishes, it a killer move to have a high-quality olive oil to drizzle a little over the top.
Oh yeah, a little bit of chili flakes are so dope on there.
Let's talk about those stems. Use those leftovers stems to make yourself an excellent drink. Add the stems to a container and cover them with your favorite vodka or gin for at least 48 hours. Reward yourself for your patience and make it into a sour, add tonic or drink on the rocks. Just have fun.
Follow @luishernandezdrinks to find out when our new recipes are coming.