Recipes for the Summer Garden: Lidia's Basil, Parsley, and Pistachio Pesto





Fresh basil and pesto from the garden

"When are you going to harvest the basil?"  Nick's been asking me this for the past few weeks.  He's been carefully watering and weeding the garden in anticipation of a few home cooked meals. 

 

So, when I hear him talking Basil, I know he is wanting me to make Lidia's pesto.   (Click here for pesto recipe from Lidia's Italy.)

Although my family has always gone through a lot of sweet Basil, prior to this pesto recipe, I always had too much parsley in the garden.  Outside of the occasional garnish or a flavoring in my turkey gravy -- I really didn't use the plant very much.  Typically, I was giving away parsley from a single plant.  After finding this recipe, we now have four parsley plants, and I worry I won't have enough. 

There may be some pesto purists who will cringe when they read that Lidia substitutes pistachio nuts for pine nuts.  But, believe me, I cannot keep this version of pesto stocked. 

Summer garden dinners are the best!