Pesto
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 cups loosely-packed basil leaves
  • ¼ cup olive oil (the best you can find)
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
Instructions
  1. Start by mashing the garlic and salt together in the mortar.
  2. Chop the basil a bit then add to the mortar, pounding away as you go. Once it is fairly even, add the olive oil a little at a time, while continuing to pound and mix.
  3. Add the toasted pine nuts, and cheese and pound them until they are well incorporated. Use it right away. It can be kept a day or two in the refrigerator, or freeze it if you need to keep it longer.
A note on pine nuts: prepare yourself for sticker shock if you haven’t bought pine nuts in a while. The price is staggering. Poor crops, increased demand and the ever-popular climate change have added to the steep prices. Keep your unused investment in the refrigerator or freeze them so they don't go bad.
Recipe by Have You Eaten, SF? at https://haveyoueatensf.com/last-call-four-things-you-need-to-eat-now/