I’m one of those people who does my grocery shopping at a variety of stores. Grower’s Direct for produce, Sprouts for meat, and Trader Joe’s/Whole Foods for specialty items. One item that has been making its way into our shopping cart recently is the Pesto alla Genovese from Trader Joe’s, which we have used in a variety of dishes.
A few weeks ago the kind folks over at Frieda’s sent me some delicious meyer lemons and a package of pine nuts. The minute I saw the pine nuts I knew that I was going to use them to try and recreate the magical, wonderful, Pesto alla Genovese from Trader Joe’s.
Turns out that making pesto is actually pretty easy. This recipe called for fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, and pecorino cheese (the key ingredient). While the end result didn’t taste exactly like the Pesto alla Genovese (that version has more cheese), it turned out pretty delicious. I definitely recommend giving this homemade pesto a shot.
Basil Pesto (inspired by this recipe and Trader Joe’s Pesto alla Genovese)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Directions:
Place your basil, garlic and pine nuts into a food processor and begin to pulse until chopped. Add 1/2 of your olive oli and continue to mix until everything is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add all the remaining oil, pecorino and parmesan cheese and continue to pulse until the mixture is smooth. Scoop into a serving bowl and enjoy!
This pesto is great on pizza, mixed in with your favorite pasta, or even used as a dipping sauce for crackers.