Basil Pesto

3 cups packed basil leaves (stems are okay, too)
3-4 cloves fresh garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
Opt: 1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

1. place garlic and pine nuts in a food processor and blend.
2. Add basil leaves and blend again.
3. drizzle in olive oil and blend until you have a smooth paste.
4. Scrape mixture into a bowl and stir in Parmesan.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

A few suggestions:
-Pine nuts are optional. Use walnuts or hazel nuts instead, or no nuts at all.
-Don’t be afraid to make mini pesto batches if you don’t have 3 full cups of basil.
-Freeze leftover pesto in ice cube trays, then store pesto cubes in a freezer bag for later use.
-You can use half the amount of olive oil if you want to make it less, well, oily!