Fresh Pesto

Yesterday I made my first ever batch of fresh pesto using the basil I am growing in my garden.  It is so hot that most of my garden is just burning up in spite of it getting late afternoon shade and my watering efforts. 
I planted 2 basil plants which are doing pretty well, and I am keeping the blossoms pinched off of them.  I went out and harvested 2 big handfuls and made Pesto, which I didn't take any pictures of. This is a stock photo of basil...

I first put 4 cloves of garlic and a handful of walnuts in the food processor and ground them up. ( used walnuts because they are about $2 a pound and pine nuts are $30 a pound!)
Then I added the 2 handfuls of basil with a small sprig of fresh oregano I also grew in my garden. Then I threw in 2 big handfuls of fresh  spinach and processed it until it made a paste.  Then I added about 1/3 cup of parmesan, and with the processor running, I streamed in olive oil until it became the consistency I wanted, not too thick, not too runny.  I also added some sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

I tossed this with some hot angel hair pasta, and garnished it with chopped fresh tomato and some more parm.

It was yum!  The spinach kept it from getting so strong, and the walnuts added a nutty taste.  All that planting and watering was worth it! If I had to buy the basil, the cost would be just too much.

Hope you are keeping cool today!

SG

Today's recipe

Here is my favorite recipe for Shrimp - a Low-country boil.  I don't have pictures yet, just the instructions. 

Louisiana Shrimp Boil  (Low Country Boil)

Fresh Shrimp with the shells on and the heads off, washed.
About ½ to 1 lb per person (depending on how much they like shrimp!)
2 lemons
2 white onions
Small red potatoes ( about 4 to 5 per person, depending on the size)
Corn on the cob
(break the ears in half and cook a couple for each person)
One package Crab Boil
( this is a small bag of mixed spices you can buy in the grocery)
Hot sauce or liquid Crab Boil ( if you like it spicy)
Optional - 1 lb. Smoked sausage sliced ( I like the cajun spice variety).


Use a big pot for this, and preferably out of doors. Fill about ⅔ full of water, slice up the onions and lemons and add to the water, along with the bag of Crab Boil. Bring the water to a boil, add the potatoes, cook a few minutes, then add the corn, let this boil about 5 minutes. Add the sausage( if you want to use this in it ) when you add the corn. Add the shrimp and let this boil until the shrimp turn pink and are floating. Use a big strainer and dip the whole thing out on a big platter or a pad of fresh newspaper and paper towels on a picnic table. You have to allow for some water drainage, so pad this with the paper. If you want it hotter, add the hot sauce or liquid Crab Boil to the water. You might want to cook one batch, then take it out and throw in another batch with the hot sauce. Be sure to leave the bag of spices and as much of the lemon and onion in as you can for the second batch. Serve this with hot french bread and a salad.

Pie making

The other day my daughter and I decided to make a pie together, so we cheated and bought a store crust, since we were also making dinner at the same time and our kitchen is a one person kitchen. It was made with Granny Smith apples, my fav for pies...and here is the result. It just oozes juices, ( now I need to clean the oven). We baked it in a Pampered Chef deep dish stoneware pie plate. I love Pampered Chef!

I also got in the mail this week, the Farmers Market cookbook from Gooseberry Patch. I sent in a recipe and they used it. I love going in the Cracker Barrel, getting down their cookbook from the rack and seeing my recipe in it!

Ice storm is coming our way, so maybe tonight I'll bake another pie!

SG