farm fresh

Look at that.

Just LOOK at that... all that vivid green, lush leafy beauty... carried in from my modest veggie garden by the armfuls, torn from its long stalks and stuffed into a blender. Can't you see it aching to be made into a salty mixture to toss with pasta or smear onto French bread?

Yes, that blenderful of fresh basil was simply begging to be transformed into pesto. And of course, I obliged.

As is my custom, I didn't measure a thing, and my only real tool was that sturdy blender, a rubber spatula, and my tongue. Pesto is such a rich, decadent thing to eat, I figure it should be a rich, decadent thing to make. Pouring olive oil until it glugs with happiness over the leaves, sprinkling pine nuts by the handful, all while relishing that gorgeous, spicy-sweet scent. A waterfall of salt and another handful of parmesan, and it's done. You could eat it by the spoonful.

And you should.

Fresh Pesto

6-8 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup or so of pine nuts
Several generous glugs of olive oil
1 cup or so of parmesan cheese
Liberal amounts of salt

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.