Basil Pesto

Pesto, to me, is one of the most the most amazing creations. Basil is an medicinal herb that is in full bloom for all of summer. Slightly warming in nature, basil is an energetic and romantic experience. Basil is also pungent and slightly bitter. Basil is an anti-spasmatic, and is good for smoothing out the nervous system.

INGREDIENTS
3 bunches or 2 cups of fresh basil, packed
½ cup of high quality extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 pinch of salt
black pepper
*½ cup of nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts or pine nuts)

OPTIONAL
Nutritional yeast
2 cloves of garlic

DIRECTIONS
Combine the basil and nuts in a food processor with an S blade. Pulse until combined. Mixture will be coarse.
Add the salt, lemon, and pepper.
While processing slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
Pesto will store in the refrigerator for several weeks because of its high fat and acid content. Store in a glass, sealed container.
You can also preserve pesto by freezing it.

Tip
Try freezing it in ice cube trays and use as a bullion for soups or flavoring for sauces.

NOTES

In the spring time you can play around with different greens, such as arugula, nettles, spinach, and parsley.

*Try out different nuts. Each nut has their own personality and medicinal quality to add to the pesto.