Add the olive oil to a small sauce pan over medium
heat. Crush the garlic cloves, and add them to the
oil. Cook the garlic for 4 to 5 minutes. Do not let
the garlic start to fry (if it does lower the heat).
Remove the oil and garlic from the heat, and cool
in the refrigerator (cooling the oil will prevent
the basil from turning darker).
Add the cashews to a food processor, and pulse
until they are finely chopped. But do not over process.
Add the basil, cheese, and cooled garlic cloves.
Process until everything forms a rough paste. With
the food processor running, add the lemon juice,
and then start slowly adding the olive oil (add
more or less if needed to get the consistency that
you want).
Taste, and add the salt and pepper as needed. I
start with 1/3 teaspoon of salt and a few good grinds
of pepper.
Serve of over cooked penne pasta, tossed with butter.
Add cooked shrimp or grilled chicken for an even
tastier treat.
Cliff Note: If you want this pesto to
have a brighter green color you can briefly blanch
the basil and quickly shock in ice water. Then dry
the basil thoroughly before adding to the food processor.
I usually do this if I have time.
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