first pesto

The bits of green popping out of the cracks in the concrete in my "garden" are doing surprisingly well this summer. Surprising because, well, when I moved into this little home, the backyard was a pretty unattractive, weed-ridden square of hard nothing. But this year, my goal has been to bring my little square patch of neglect back to life. And I have to say, I'm quite happy so far. I wish I had started this little journal many months ago so I could have kept track of my green babies from their inception. But alas, you can meet them (and the dishes they will form) in their adolescence.

First up, my first crack at homemade pesto. I love pesto. That's why I stink of garlic, apparently. My modest little basil plant doesn't really produce enough big leaves at any one time to make a decent amount of pesto - but that didn't stop me from trying.

It's so satisfying to rip off fresh leaves of your own basil & have your hands smelling like Italy already. You don't even really need to add garlic, nuts & cheese. But you should.

I smashed garlic with sea salt, handfuls of fresh basil, added toasted pine nuts & sprinkled in parmesan cheese. All in our new favorite modern kitchen gadget. It certainly reduces, um, a lot.

Look at that color green! It's like backyard in a bowl.

I definitely didn't get the ratio right. I read a recipe to get an idea but it was for 5 cups' worth & clearly my math skills are a little rusty. I divided all the other ingredients, but somehow doubled the garlic. (somehow?!) Good thing my other half loves garlic as much as I do. We still chewed some parsley for dessert in a vain attempt to stop stinkin'.

So it only made about 2 tablespoons but it was damn good. It'll be even better next time.