Presto....it's PESTO!

Fall is in the air and that means local markets are filled with soooooo many fantastic things. This week, I came home from my local farmers market with a giant bag of basil.

On a chilly night, there was only one thing to do. Make pesto!!

Pesto is one of those things that seems pretty straight forward but making it with the wrong recipe and wrong proportions can go horribly wrong. I've had many a pesto that was too bitter, too garlicy or just plain bland.

So here we go....

What you need:
a bunch of fresh and freshly washed basil (by bunch, I mean bag...so like 10 or so small "bunches")



2 cloves garlic
two handfuls soaked almonds (*see note below)
about 3 or 4 good pours of olive oil
salt and pepper

In a food processor add:
the basil, garlic, almonds and pour in olive oil slowly until desired consistency is reached. I like my pesto a tad on the oily side so I can add it to pasta. Add salt and pepper to your liking and you're done. PRESTO!



You can also add a nice organic parmesan cheese if you wish. The ratio of pesto and cheese should be 50/50. So if you have a cup of pesto, mix it with a cup of cheese.

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH SOAKING ALMONDS?

Almonds are an almost perfect food. They are so good for you for so many reasons but they are actually not that easy to digest. The brown coating on almonds contains a substance that is enzyme inhibiting. Soaking almonds removes that inhibitor so almonds can be properly digested, enzymes and all.



To soak almonds always start with raw, organic almonds. To soak them, simply cover them with the purest water you have at your disposal. A glass or stainless steel bowl is best. Soak them overnight for 12 hours. Drain then and then refrigerate for easy access.