They use Italian cookbook author Marcella Hazan's pesto recipe but tweak it, using only high-quality imported Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and skipping the Romano that Hazan suggests.
The couple freezes some of the pesto, minus the cheese and butter, which they add to the thawed pesto when they're ready to use it. They also put some finished pesto in small jars and deliver it as a hostess gift.
My wife and I were recipients of one of those jars of pesto.
It was so good that it inspired us to get cracking. On a recent weekend, before the recent cold rains fell, I slogged up to my garden plot in Druid Hill Park and began picking basil leaves. I filled two large plastic bags.
I brought them home and my wife washed them. Using the MacKenzie-Hazan recipe, we turned them into dozens of packets of frozen pesto sauce.
Now when the weatherman warns of cold nights, I think of our stash of pesto, I envision spreading it on pizza, or tossing it on some steaming pasta.
I no longer fear the frost.
Ellen MacKenzie's version of Marcella Hazan pesto
Makes: 1 cup (serving size 2 tablespoons)
2
cups tightly packed fresh sweet basil leaves
2-3
tablespoons pine nuts
2
cloves garlic
1/2
cup good extra virgin olive oil
2-3
tablespoons softened butter (unsalted)
1/2
cup good Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Use a food processor to grind the pine nuts and garlic. Then add the basil, then the olive oil. Salt to taste. Mix the butter and cheese in by hand. If freezing, add the butter and cheese after pesto thaws.
Nutrition information
Per serving: 184 calories, 19 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 3 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrate, <1 gram fiber, 12 milligrams cholesterol, 78 milligrams sodium
Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Soup
Makes: 8 cups
1
pound Italian sausage squeezed from casing or chopped into small pieces
1
large onion, chopped
6
cloves garlic, minced
2
teaspoons dried organic basil (or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil)
2
teaspoons organic oregano
1
teaspoon organic anise seed
4
cups chicken broth
1
(14 1/2 -ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1
(8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1
cup mini farfalle pasta
2
cups fresh spinach, chopped
8
ounces fresh mozzarella, diced
1/2
cup fresh Parmesan, shredded
