July Harvest Foods
Pesto! I tried many pesto recipes this year, and my favorite? A very nutty and cheesy pesto with beautiful color and a splash of wine. The recipe goes something like this:
2 cup (packed tightly) basil leaves
Enough olive oil to get it to the consistency you want (probably at least 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup of wine (pour yourself a glass, drink half, and assume the remainder is about right). I prefer white for this, but red is good too
4-5 cloves of garlic
A dump of (around 1 cup) Parmesan cheese
A handful or two (around 1 cup) of TOASTED pine nuts
Blend using hand blender with the chopper attachment. I use a KitchenAid hand blender because that’s as close as I get to a food processor or blender in my kitchen, and I love it. Note that there is as much cheese and nuts as basil, so if you are a true basil-lover this might not do it for you. Also, the pesto stays greener with the wine. Instead, you could add lemon juice for the same purpose, but I don’t like the flavor as well.
More fresh carrots, beets, and turnips. I have decided my favorite way to eat root vegetables is by broiling with some olive oil and s&p. It always brings out the sweetness and increases the flavor. Sunita’s favorite carrots are Maple-Dill Carrots. They are really good, just not really good for you all smothered in sugar and butter.
Yum! Green beans. Hubby’s favorite way to eat green beans is with butter and salt, nothing else. I’m competing against memories of Grandma’s house anytime I try anything different. I have tried at least one other recipe (and there have been weeks where we have eaten them many a night). I used a recipe out of Everyday Food but it was basically just adding toasted almonds and a little olive oil. Either way, fresh green beans are sooo good.
I did get out to a family blueberry farm to get some blueberries but I didn’t make much with them. Mostly those get tucked into the freezer for a blue burst of sunshine in the middle of winter.
There was much more, but considering I’m more than a month behind…this will do.