I introduced pesto in my last post as in ingredient for Warm Overnight Oats with Chickpeas, Pesto and Cheese. That post elicited a request from a friend to repost the Basil Pesto picture book recipe I put together 10 years ago that you can jump to immediately by clicking any picture on this page.

One big heads up/warning right off the bat: you’ll need a food processor to make fresh pesto like the processor shown below in the equipment picture or any other model or brand. If you don’t have one, try to borrow one from a friend or family – and even offer to share the pesto you make with them. If, however, you can’t access a food processor, please bear with me. I’ll shoot and post a hand-chopped basil pesto recipe next.

In the meantime, for those of you with a food processor good to go, here are the ingredients you need to make fresh basil pesto: 1 Bunch Fresh Basil, 1 Garlic Bulb, Grated Parmesan Cheese, 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt, Crunch of Black Pepper, Olive Oil, Handful of Your Favorite Nuts (I usually use either a lightly salted version of roasted almonds, no salt walnuts, or lightly salted mixed nuts instead of pine nuts usually called for to make pesto for both flavor and because pine nuts can be hard to find), Shot of Balsamic Vinegar (optional but adds a punch of flavor).

Here’s a shot of the equipment you’ll need. The wide bladed chef’s knife below is just used to smash the garlic skins open to make peeling the garlic easy.

Another big heads up: definitely give the fresh basil a good hand scrubbing rinse as shown in the photos below to make sure to wash out any sandy soil that might stick to the basil leaves, which otherwise makes enjoying fresh fully-flavorful pesto a lot crunchier than it needs to be and less enjoyable.

Again, click this link or any picture on this page for complete fresh basil pesto step-by-step picture book directions.

Next post: hand-chopped fresh basil pesto.