Pesto

Now the basil is flourishing in my garden, I have rediscovered my addiction to pesto, the simple blended sauce of basil, olive oil and garlic.

While pesto is traditionally a pasta sauce, I like it on vegetables too. I toss it with steamed carrots and green beans. And I find it particularly attractive spread on yellow patty pan squash. I slice the squash in half, brush it with a little oil, and bake it in the toaster oven at 350° until it's tender. Then I spread some pesto on top, cook it a little longer, and serve. It's pretty on the plate and delicious to eat. If you have a jar of pesto in the fridge, it's fast to make too.

Like all plants, basil has health-promoting properties, including bioflavanoids that protect chromosomes from radiation damage and cells from oxidation. Its volatile oils (that make it smell good) have anti-bacterial qualities and might prevent against bacterial infections in the intestines. It's good for the heart because it is high in magnesium and carotenoids that prevent oxidation of cholesterol. It also contains compounds that fight inflammation in similar ways to NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories).

Eating basil is a great way to let food be your medicine. Throw some leaves in your spaghetti sauce, chop some into your salad, and enjoy pesto.

The following is my basic pesto recipe, but I sometimes change things up in ways that purists will disavow. I often skip the parmesan cheese, and just add extra salt to taste. (Vegan pesto.) I sometimes add water instead of all the oil - it makes a lighter pesto that doesn't store as well in the fridge but spreads well over pasta. I can rarely find organic pine nuts, so I substitute walnuts.

I keep pesto in a jar in the fridge, covered with a little olive oil to keep it green. I also freeze a few small containers of it to get me through the grey winter months. But really, there's nothing like freshly-made pesto with basil straight from the garden.

Pesto
2 cups basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan (optional)
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste

Combine the basil, garlic, parmesan and nuts in a blender and buzz a few times until well chopped. Slowly add the olive oil with the machine running. You might need to scrape the pesto out of the blender blades a few times. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand a few minutes for the flavors to blend before using.

Makes about 1 cup.

Storage: Scoop it into a small jar, pour olive oil over the top to cover it, and store in the fridge for at least a week or the freezer for longer.