Homemade Pesto {with an almond option}

We were ambitious and planted 4 basil plants. And they really took off. I've loved having fresh basil atop every dish...ok, so maybe not every dish. But you know what I mean.

My cute cousin, Courtney, and her Mom, Lauren, made homemade Pesto. So, being the copycats that we are, my mom & I also made homemade pesto. What they discovered is that you can use raw almonds in place of the pine nuts. Which is FANtastic, because pine nuts are crazy expensive. 

We tried it both ways. And then put little individual bags in our freezers. So fresh, and of course, delish!

Enjoy! 

{HOMEMADE PESTO} 

click here for a printable version of this recipe
¼ c. plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

2 T. chopped raw almonds {or pine nuts}

1 c. tightly packed, rinsed, drained, stemmed fresh basil

2 medium cloves garlic

¼ tsp. salt

¼ c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1 ½ T. Romano cheese, freshly grated

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in small saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat. Add pine nuts or almonds; sauté, stirring and shaking pan constantly until nuts are light brown, 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer nuts immediately to paper towel-lined plate to drain. Combine nuts, basil leaves, garlic, salt and remaining ¼ cup oil in food processor or blender container. Process until mixture is evenly blended and pieces are very finely chopped. Transfer basil mixture to small bowl. Stir in Parmesan and Romano cheeses. Pesto can be refrigerated, covered with thin layer of olive oil, up to 1 week; or pesto can be frozen for several months. Thaw and bring to room temperature before using.

Serving Suggestions: toss pesto with hot cooked buttered fettuccine or linguine. Stir small amount of pesto into broth-based vegetable or meat soups. Whisk small amount of pesto into vinaigrette for tossed salads. Mix pesto with softened butter to be used on steamed vegetables, poached fish or omelets.