O ye gurus of the pantry:

My basil has finally reached the plentiful stage after three days of
unseasonal heavy rain a couple of weekends ago.

We can only eat so much caprese salad so I'd like to make pesto with
some of the bounty and freeze it.

Do I just process the leaves in olive oil and freeze, then add the
cheese, garlic and pine nuts before serving?

Reminder to self: find those ice cube trays!

Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

gloria p

Gloria P wrote:
>
>
> O ye gurus of the pantry:
>
> My basil has finally reached the plentiful stage after three days of
> unseasonal heavy rain a couple of weekends ago.
>
> We can only eat so much caprese salad so I'd like to make pesto with
> some of the bounty and freeze it.
>
> Do I just process the leaves in olive oil and freeze, then add the
> cheese, garlic and pine nuts before serving?
>
> Reminder to self: find those ice cube trays!
>
> Thanks in advance for any help and advice.
>
> gloria p


That works, or you can make it up all the way and freeze it. (It
freezes great)

Bob

You can actually freeze the pesto with the cheese and pine nuts in it in
ice cube trays. I've done it some time ago before I started canning.
Just defrost and enjoy.

I don't think it would really work out trying to add the cheese and pine
nuts later. Somehow I don't think it would come together properly.




In article >,
Gloria P > wrote:

> O ye gurus of the pantry:
>
> My basil has finally reached the plentiful stage after three days of
> unseasonal heavy rain a couple of weekends ago.
>
> We can only eat so much caprese salad so I'd like to make pesto with
> some of the bounty and freeze it.
>
> Do I just process the leaves in olive oil and freeze, then add the
> cheese, garlic and pine nuts before serving?
>
> Reminder to self: find those ice cube trays!
>
> Thanks in advance for any help and advice.
>
> gloria p

In article >,
Gloria P > wrote:

> O ye gurus of the pantry:
>
> My basil has finally reached the plentiful stage after three days of
> unseasonal heavy rain a couple of weekends ago.
>
> We can only eat so much caprese salad so I'd like to make pesto with
> some of the bounty and freeze it.
>
> Do I just process the leaves in olive oil and freeze, then add the
> cheese, garlic and pine nuts before serving?
>
> Reminder to self: find those ice cube trays!
>
> Thanks in advance for any help and advice.
>
> gloria p

I've done what Bob does‹freeze it in a freezer baggie, patted flat, air
removed, zipped shut. Break some off when you need it. Thinness (1/4 -
1/2"?) allows for quick thawing.

BTW, I *really* like my pesto with some parsley leaves in the mix.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller, and here's the link to my appearance
on "A Prairie Home Companion," <http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/
programs/2008/08/30/>

sometime in the recent past Gloria P posted this:
>
>
> O ye gurus of the pantry:
>
> My basil has finally reached the plentiful stage after three days of
> unseasonal heavy rain a couple of weekends ago.
>
> We can only eat so much caprese salad so I'd like to make pesto with
> some of the bounty and freeze it.
>
> Do I just process the leaves in olive oil and freeze, then add the
> cheese, garlic and pine nuts before serving?
>
> Reminder to self: find those ice cube trays!
>
> Thanks in advance for any help and advice.
>
> gloria p
We mix it all together and then put it into 8 oz. Ball jars and freeze. Jars
freeze, basil stays green and the jars have never broken. For myself, I see
no point in making something only half-way and then finishing it when I want
to use it. When I want to use it, I may not have the rest of the ingredients
to finish it with, but that's just me. I've seen several people mention, as
you did, adding the cheese, nuts & garlic later, but don't see why.
Otherwise, you have only frozen basil & oil and not pesto as I like it.
Good luck either way ;-)

--
Wilson N44º39" W67º12"

In article >,
Wilson > wrote:

> For myself, I see
> no point in making something only half-way and then finishing it when I want
> to use it. When I want to use it, I may not have the rest of the ingredients
> to finish it with, but that's just me. I've seen several people mention, as
> you did, adding the cheese, nuts & garlic later, but don't see why.
> Otherwise, you have only frozen basil & oil and not pesto as I like it.

Let me see if I can shed a bit of light for you: (1) There are so many
other uses for basil other than pesto; (2) Certain fresh ingredients,
especially garlic and cheese, are a big improvement over frozen; (3)
Variety being the "spice of life", some of us like to vary our basil
pesto with different kinds of nuts or other cheeses like Asiago for
instance.

Isabella
--
"I will show you fear in a handful of dust"
-T.S. Eliot