Sweet Basil Pesto

We were introduced to pesto by the late Bill Pittsley, who prepared his grilled pesto-chicken pizza after a couple sets of mixed doubles. It’s best to plant your own basil in the spring and make the pesto in July.

Have ready:

4 cups basil leaves (pressed lightly)
1/3 cup pine nuts
4 large cloves garlic
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

These amounts are guides. Use more or less of something to your taste, within reason.

First, treat the basil so that it will remain bright green. Do this by plunging it into a pot of boiling water for 10 to 20 seconds and then plunging it immediately into a bowl of ice water. This denatures a protein that would otherwise cause the pesto to turn brown or olive-drab. This does not affect the taste or diminish fresh flavor. Don’t cook it. Twenty seconds is the maximum. Drain cool basil on paper towels.

In a food processor with steel blade, blast the garlic and grated cheese until they are the consistency of coffee grounds. (Be very careful buying grated Parmesan. If it is not 100 percent Parmesan — imported is best — or if the ingredients are not clearly printed, buy a chunk of real cheese and grate it yourself. You can also cut it into small pieces and blast it with the garlic.)

Add the pine nuts and chop for a bit more, then add the basil leaves. Process until the basil is finely chopped but not pureed. With the machine running, add the olive oil in a thin stream, and process until the pesto is smooth or until it reaches a consistency you like.

Use immediately, refrigerate, or freeze in small portions. I use inexpensive quarter-cup plastic food-service containers with lids, all stored inside ZipLoc freezer bags to prevent freezer burn. Be careful about thawing it. Prolonged microwaving can overheat the olive oil, which then cooks the pesto.