Suzy loves making great food with friends and this basil pesto is easy to do in bulk.  It makes a delicious topping for pasta or a spread for a sandwich. It's also an opportunity to use up your garden basil and parsley. You can freeze pesto in ice cube trays, and then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag.  All you'll have to do in the coming months is pop one or two cubes out for pesto-in-a-pinch.

Perfect Pesto

With only 6 main ingredients, this pesto is simple to make and freezes beautifully for future meals.

4 oz. fresh basil, washed thoroughly, stems discarded
1 cup flat leaf parsley, washed thoroughly, stems discarded
3/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tbs. olive oil for sauteeing
9 large garlic cloves
2/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
½ tsp. Kosher salt
2 ounces of water for blending

Toast pine nuts until golden (approximately 6 minutes in toaster oven on 375) shaking pan occasionally - pick out any nuts that have turned a darker shade of brown. Wash basil and parsley thoroughly, chop & set aside. Peel garlic cloves, chop in thirds & saute in 2tbs. olive oil for approximately 2 minutes - remove from pan quickly before browning.

In a blender, gradually add basil, parsley, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese & kosher salt. Add water one ounce at a time to help blend the ingredients. Pesto is finished when the consistency is smooth & creamy and the color turns to a lighter green. Transfer to ice cube trays and freeze.

Freezing and Serving Suggestions
Defrost 2-3 cubes of pesto, combine with a bit of reserved pasta cooking liquid, and have a delicious meal in under ten minutes.

Recipe provided by GalPals Alison Bermack and Shannon Henry, cookingwithfriendsclub.com.