Ingredients:
2 cups basil, cleaned and de-stemmed
1/2 cup parsley, cleaned and de-stemmed
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, walnuts or pinenuts (or a combination of them all)
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup parmesan, pecorino or asiago cheese, grated
1/2-2/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Place the nuts and garlic into the food processor and pulse until fine. Then, add the herbs and about half of the oil. Once everything is well mixed together, add the rest of the oil and the cheese. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
Serve immediately or store in an airtight container. If you are going to freeze your pesto be sure to do it in airtight bags or containers (glass jelly jars work great).
*To keep your basil fresh, place it into a cup of water and keep it at room temperature until you are ready to use it.
Variations:
Add arugula or dried cranberries to mix up the flavor.
Add 3 tbsp room temperature butter to the pesto, after you’ve taken it out of the food processor.
Leave out parsley and make it with just basil.
