From the Recipe Box: Capresto!

Riddle: What do you get when you cross caprese with pesto?
Answer: Capresto!

After my trip to the West End Farmer’s Market last weekend, I had a huge bunch of fresh sweet basil, so I decided to make a batch of pesto. It only takes a few minutes and it is so easy to make. We have enjoyed it throughout the week. One night I served it with pasta and topped the pasta with grilled squash, zucchini, onions and peppers. Later in the week, we had panini sandwiches with pesto, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese.

Pesto is very easy to freeze, so you can make a lot now and still enjoy it throughout the winter. You can freeze it in ice cube trays and then transfer to a freezable container. This is a great we to pre-measure it and then just pull out what you need later. This is perfect if you just want a little bit say for a pizza or just a sandwich or two.

Ingredients for Pesto:

3 cups fresh basil leaves
2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt

Toast your pine nuts and set aside to cool. Clean and dry your basil. Put first four ingredients in the food processor until well blended. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Turn processor back on and drizzle olive oil down the feeder tube until all oil is incorporated into the bowl. Add salt to taste.  This will make approximately 1 cup pesto.

To make capresto, just add tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

Kitchenarian Notes: After you remove the pesto from the food processor, transfer to a small bowl.  You can continue to drizzle olive oil into the pesto until you get the consistency you want.