Recipe Round-up: Freezer Meals

Today's Recipe Round-up can be found at Motherhood Apologia. 

Blender pesto

Servings: 6

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsps. walnuts (I prefer pistacios--see notes below)
2 cloves peeled garlic, lightly crushed with a heavy knife
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsps. butter, softened to room temperature

1. Put basil, olive oil, nuts, garlic cloves and salt in a blender (or food processor) and mix at high speed. Stop from time to time to scrape down sides with a rubber spatula.

2. When ingredients are blended, pour them into a bowl and beat in cheese.

3. When cheese has been evenly incorporated into the other ingredients, beat in butter.

4. Before spooning pesto over pasta, add a tablespoon or two of the hot water in which the pasta has boiled.

If freezing this pesto, blend the basil, olive oil, nuts, garlic cloves, cheese and salt in a blender and freeze. To use, thaw the pesto mixture and then add the butter.  I freeze little tiny portions in ice cube trays and then pop them out when they are frozen and store them in a freezer bag.  They thaw quickly and all it takes is a tablespoon of soft butter to finish.  I've also dropped a cube  of frozen pesto to flavor soups and sauces.

I took Alton Brown's advice last year and substituted pistatios for the traditional pine nuts (too expensive) or walnuts (hard to get really fresh walnuts).  It's a lot of shelling, but I think we liked it better!

Here's a recipe that I shared in a previous Round-up which uses the small portions:

Bistro Chicken Sandwich 

Comments

[ellen b]

We love this wonderful green stuff at our house. Thanks for this recipe...

[Karen @ Simply A Musing Blog]

Wow...I have never made this - you almost make it look easy! Thanks so much for sharing!

[Robin]

This time I CAN see your photo (go figure).

Hey, I Recipe-Rounded-Up this time :). I agree with Karen--this DOES sound simple. Why is it I've always been intimidated by pesto before? Silly, huh?

Can you ever go wrong with fresh basil though? I think not.

Wow, Kim, you've introduced me to RRU and you're tempting me with Poetry Friday...(not that I'm a poet). I just finished a photo post, but I'm itching to wax poetic :/.

You influencer, you ;).

(of course, the most beautiful "influence" is your love of Christ :) ).

(I almost forgot, your new header is lovely--very inviting. Interestingly, I've liked ALL the new headers I'm "meeting" during Recipe Round-up....)