DIY Pili-Basil Pesto

My parents are having a pot luck tonight. And with the thick patch of Basil growing in their Herbal & Herbs garden that need trimming, it was quite obvious to me what they were going to ask me to make. Why, Pesto, of course!

Below is a step-by-step procedure of how I make Pesto. I don't really have a recipe for this. I pretty much just eye balled it. And you can do the same. The secret is to add ingredients slowly.

What you will need:
Basil
Pili Nuts (Optional)
Olive Oil
Garlic Cloves
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Food Processor

Procedure:

For Basil:

A. Wash Basil Leaves: Put Basil leaves in a bowl full of water mixed with salt. Leave it for 5 minutes. Rinse with water and put in strainer to dry.

B. Remove the stems after air-drying it.

Get your Basil at Php60/seedling. Visit https://herbalandherbs.wordpress.com/ for more details.

For Pili

They usually use Pine Nuts for Pesto on TV but since I don't have Pine Nuts and I do have Pili Nuts, I decided to substitute. Pili has a lot of benefits. Not only does it taste good, its also good for the digestion and bowel movement guaranteed!

A. Remove the Pili Skin: Add hot water and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. You can easily remove the skin with your fingers then and it won't burn your fingers too.

This is what it looks like after it's skinned. I used about a little over 1/8 cup of Pili here. 

B. Toast Pili Nuts: Heat the skinned Pili in pan to push its healthy oil goodness out like so.

It's done when it looks like this:

For Pesto

A. Add all ingredients in Food Processor. If you have a small food processor like mine, don't fit all the Basil leaves at once. Put in about 1/3 of it first. It will reduce as it is processed and this ensures that everything is chopped up nicely.

Like I mentioned at the start of this post, I don't really have a recipe for this. I just really eye balled it. So if you're going to do it this way too, just add the olive oil slowly and keep checking the consistency of the pesto. And make sure you taste it so you'll know if it needs more salt. 

You have the option to add cheese to this but I really prefer to keep it flexible. If people want cheese on it, they can add it themselves. You can always serve grated cheese on the side.  

To be honest, I am no cook (my friends can attest to my cooking skills). But this just proves to us that fresh ingredients can make the difference. Try it out yourself!

Want to know where to get fresh Basil? 

Visit us at https://herbalandherbs.wordpress.com/ for more information on our kitchen herbs!