7 tips for a Successful Pesto

1.- Be sure that the herbs are washed and well dried before making pesto. Water will make it difficult to pound or puree the leaves.

2.- Season the finish pesto generously with salt to bring out the flavor of the herbs.

3.- Make sure all toasted nuts have been cooled to room temperature before pounding or processing. Warm nuts will make the pesto soggy.


4.- Pounding in a mortar will yield a more rustic pesto: using the food processor a more uniform pesto.

5.- Be adventure with other green herbs like dandelion, chickweed, nettles, tulsi, rosemary, urugula, spinach and charts: inclusively some lavender.

6.- You can also use sun dry tomatoes or roasted peppers for a red pesto.

7.- If you intent to freeze the pesto from the start, make sure that the herbs are not soggy with water. To much water will cause ice crystals to form when the pesto is in the freezer, which will weaken its flavor and texture. The pesto will freeze better is there's slightly more oil in the mix. The fat will protect the herbs from freezer burn.