As the summer comes to an end, what do you do with all of the left over basil from your garden? It can go to waste pretty fast. Instead, let's turn it into a herbaceous pesto that can be used on anything from pasta to sandwiches or even mixed into a summer salad.

Ingredients

• Large bunch of fresh basil
• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano cheese
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 cloves of garlic, grated
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of good olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of Calabrian Chile paste (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Add the basil and pine nuts into a container big enough to fit and use your Immersion Blender. On high speed, pulse the herbs and nuts together creating a paste.
2. Add the cheese, zest, garlic, and shallots. Continue to mix together with the immersion blender until combined. The mixture will resemble a paste.
3. While the blender is running, slowly pour the oil into the mixture and hand blend the ingredients all together until a sauce is formed. The color should be a vibrant green and should not have separation between the oil and other ingredients. If the mixture is still too thick after adding the oil continue to add more oil, 2 tablespoons at a time until the consistency is reached.
4. Season with salt and pepper and taste adjusting the seasoning if desired.

Pro Tip

To add a kick to your pesto, you can add an optional ingredient of Calabrian Chile paste or substitute with red pepper flakes. You can add this in with the garlic. Start by adding a 1/4 teaspoon of the spice, and adjusting as needed.

RECIPE BY

All-Clad Resident Chef Derek Finocchiaro

All-Clad’s Resident Chef Derek has been working with flavors and fragrance for his entire career. Finding a path from perfumery to food, Derek competed on numerous amateur cooking shows which led him to the All-Clad Test kitchen. Here he excels in creating new recipes, blogs, video demos, and food photography for our consumers.