Yes, my basil plant is dead. And to be honest, the only thing keeping it alive for the past couple weeks was H’s diligent watering. But not to worry, before it completely bit the dirt (haha get it?) I harvested the salvageable leaves. And what better use for them but pesto! I also had two very ripe avocados in the fridge and decided that I would combine the bold flavor of the basil and the sharp bite of fresh garlic, with the rich creaminess of the avocado. Toss with some orzo (or really any other pasta) and you have yourself a delicious pasta meal. You can also top the pasta with any protein of your choosing (chicken, shrimp, pork). I had a beautiful piece of smoked salmon that I had been saving, so I cubed it, threw it in the pan with some olive oil, got some tasty caramelization and laid it atop the pasta. Yum.
Avocado Basil Pesto
1 bunch of basil (translates to about a cup of leaves)
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 avocados (it is quite possible that I used less and ate a couple bites in the process)
juice of one lemon
2-4 cloves of garlic (depending on how sharp and garlicky you like your pesto)
salt and pepper, to taste
1. Add basil, pine nuts and lemon juice to food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped.
2. Add avocados (roughly cube them so they are easier to combine) and garlic. Pulse until smooth. Taste, then add salt and pepper as needed.
And that’s all it takes. But I will say that this will yield about a cup of pesto and I only needed half a cup to toss with a whole pound of orzo. My advice? Freeze the rest. That will keep it green and fresh and you can thaw out what you need at a later time. Enjoy!
F-stops and Forks 