'Tis the season for fresh herbs, especially basil at our house! You can Google pesto and come up with all kids of recipes and the basic variation is quite tasty. However, I usually take a few liberties in making pesto around here for a variety of reasons...
1. After being introduced to the concept of Spinach & Arugula Pesto, I began to broaden my horizons about what exactly can/should be included in pesto. Now, I tend to use all my "must go" greens when prepping a batch of pesto. I do try to have sweet basil make up at least 50% of the greens included, but I've been known to include carrot tops, spinach, spring greens, and arugula in any combination.
2. Pine nuts are expensive. I rarely use them and instead opt to include toasted walnuts or sunflower seeds. Both of these give an equally "nutty" flavoring and for what it's worth, I can't tell the difference (and neither can my pesto-devouring family).
3. Storage: Pesto freezes very well. Some would recommend omitting any cheese if you're going to freeze it (adding it once thawed) but honestly, I can't be bothered and include it in my frozen batches without complaint. I prefer to freeze pesto in ice cube trays; you can pop them out of the trays and into ziploc bags once frozen and each cube is a handy 1-serving portion.
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