Hello everyone,

As my garden grows bigger and bigger, I find myself facing some welcome problems  – how on earth am I going to use up all of these glorious vegetables?

Today, we’re looking at produce problem number 1: Basil

I have a beautiful pot of basil plants containing more basil then I could use in an average meal. So I decided that I needed to make something that requires mass quantities of basil. I chose to make pesto!

Pesto is so simple. Throw all ingredients in the food processor and  ZING! You have lovely, fresh, flavourful pesto! Surprisingly simple with basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil.

Additionally, I decided to make a tomato bocconcini salad. Garden tomato, bocconcini, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and of course basil, come together in this fresh and light salad. In the past, I have done this salad in kind of a mini sandwich form, layering each slice of tomato with a slice of large bocconcini and a leaf of basil. This time, I used smaller bocconcini and mixed it all together in a bowl. Delicious!

With some fresh pasta right from the farmer’s market, this meal was so flavourful and delicious!

You can’t beat fresh homemade pesto!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Did you know that an artichoke will flower if you don’t pick it? Pictured left is an artichoke flower from my garden.

Click here to view printable Word version of recipe:
Pesto
Bocconcini Salad

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Pesto

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 cups fresh basil
1-2 cloves garlic
¼ cup pine nuts
½ cup olive oil
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place basil, garlic and pine nuts in food processor and blend.
2. Add salt and pepper. Drizzle oil into food processor while blending.
3. Scoop out mixture into bowl. Add parmesan cheese and mix.

Pesto freezes wonderfully!

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Tomato Bocconcini Salad
(To view the plated version of this salad, click here)

INGREDIENTS:

Diced Tomatoes
Small Bocconcini, cut in half if they are too large
Chopped basil leaves
Garlic cloves, crushed
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Toss all ingredients together in bowl