Pesto Cubes

It doesn't make sense not to whip up fresh pesto you can grab a bunch of basil at the farmer's market for a buck. But because I can only use so much of it to top my pasta, sandwiches and veggies in the week it is good, I froze what I had left in an ice cube tray to easily defrost for future meals, particularly after farmer's market season (tragically!) ends. I left the Parmesan out of my pesto recipe for better freezing consistency, so I just sprinkled the cheese on foods when I added the pesto.

Before:

After a few hours in the freeze, at which point they got individually packed and placed back into their frozen hibernation:

Pesto

(Recipe from my Cuisinart food processor booklet)

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (or walnuts)

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, washed and completely dried

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Add nuts to the processor and chop 5 times; remove and reserve. Add garlic to processor and chop for 5 seconds. Add basil and half the olive oil. Pulse on grind 10 times, then grind continuously for 15 seconds. With the machine running on grind, add the remaining oil slowly through the holes in the lid. Process on grind for an additional 10 seconds. Add nuts and pulse 10 times on chop to blend. 

Let the pesto sit for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop.