Homemade Petso

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I am slightly obsessed with Pesto.

However, I didn’t really care for it until a few years ago. I would always choose tomato sauce over pesto on my pizza. That is, until a friend introduced me to the deliciousness of homemade pesto. We were having a pizza party one night and each person was supposed to contribute an ingredient for the pizza. I don’t know how this happened since we didn’t discuss what we were bringing, but we ended up with: homemade pesto, prosciutto, pear, gouda cheese, and caramelized onions. What were the chances? It was the makings for an epic pizza.

My good friend, Kelli Lytle, is an amazing cook. I turn to her for much inspiration. She is always creating the most delicious and unique foods to share. I look forward sharing a meal with Kelli. She always makes the best things! Especially dessert!

Anyway, the homemade pesto that Kelli brought to pizza night blew my mind. It really MADE the pizza. So good. Since then I’ve made my own versions, varying the ingredients a bit. The base ingredients are the same each time though:

• basil
• extra virgin olive oil
• pine nuts
• garlic
• sea salt

Simple. Classic. Delicious.

To make the pesto, I first start with raw pinenuts and toast them myself. It’s so easy to do and the fragrant smell is amazing. There are two ways to toast pinenuts:

• In the Oven: Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Add pine nuts to a baking sheet and bake for about 10 min, until fragrant just starting to brown. Stir every 5 minutes to prevent burning.

• On the Stove: Heat a pan over medium heat. Add the pinenuts and toast for about a minute, then toss. Keep heating and tossing every minute until pinenuts are brown. Remove from heat.

I prefer to toast them on the stove, but either method works. Once the pinenuts are cooled add then to a food processor along with the basil, olive oil, garlic, and sea salt. Turn on and process until smooth. I usually have to scrape down the sides a few times and add a little more olive oil for a smoother consistency.

Serve immediately for store in the fridge for up to a week.

One response to “Homemade Petso”

1. Stephanie Howe Violett » Cauliflower “Pizza” says:

   March 25, 2016 at 1:47 am

   […] slightly obsessed with pesto, especially on pizza. I didn’t use to like it much, until I tried a homemade version at a […]

   Reply