Pecan Pesto

Last summer there was a shortage of pine nuts at my local grocery store.  The store manager told me there had been a recall (something about Salmonella) and they wouldn't have any in stock for a while.


Ugh!  I had no idea what I going to do with ALL the basil I had grown!  My plan was to make and freeze a ton of it.  


I racked my brain about what I could substitute for the pine nuts.  


Pecans?  I certainly had a lot of them in my pantry.   


It turned out to be fabulous!  This has turned into my go-to pesto recipe.  As an added bonus, pecans are more budget-friendly than pine nuts.


And since I am a Southern girl, I feel the need to give everyone out there a lesson in the proper way to pronounce the word 'Pecan.'  Because you know, there is only one proper way to say it!  


It's 'Pee-can', not 'Puh-kahn'. 


Ok, I'm glad I got that out.  I feel better now.  Let's get on with the recipe...

Last weekend I noticed that my basil plants were starting to flower.  It was time to make pesto again!  I like to make a lot at once and freeze it.  


There are many, many different ideas about the best way to freeze pesto, but using ice cube trays is my favorite.  Just fill up the trays, cover with plastic wrap and freeze.  Once frozen, pop out the cubes of pesto and store in freezer bags until you're ready to use them.  They defrost very quickly and you can take out just as many as you need!

Pecan Pesto

3 cups Fresh Basil Leaves

1 1/2 cups Pecans

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

3/4 cup Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a food processor or blender, blend together basil leaves, garlic, pecans, parmesan cheese.  Slowly pour in the olive oil while still mixing.  Add salt and pepper to taste and mix again.