Basil & Goat Cheese Pesto

The last several years I have been growing basil as it is my favorite herb and pairs so well with cucumbers and tomatoes (two other staples in my garden).  Every year I plan on making a batch of pesto, but always hold off not wanting to demolish my basil plants.  This year I said nuts on that and tackled a batch nice and early.

What makes this recipe different from the others is that instead of using your standard parmesan (totally delish) I opted for a hard goat cheese we never fail to pick up anytime we are visiting Amsterdam.  If you are ever visiting, I highly recommend stopping by Reypenaer Cheese and signing up for their cheese and wine course.  It was through this course that we discovered two of the most amazing hard goat cheeses: Wijngaard Chèvre Affiné and Wijngaard Chèvre Gris.  Both are made in small batches and using traditional methods.  Happily they now sell online!!

Either Chèvre would be great, but I used the Wijngaard Chèvre Affiné as I already had a package open.

Honestly, the longest part about making pesto was the clean up!  All it entails is adding the basil, garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper to a food processor, pulsing a few times until finely mixed and streaming extra virgin olive oil with the machine running.  Scrape down the bowl a few times and you’re done.  At this point you can either freeze the pesto or grate your cheese in. Totally simple.

 

I wanted to freeze some of my pesto and it is best frozen without the cheese – hence the two versions below.  When freezing pesto, be sure to drizzle a layer of oil over the top to prevent the pesto from darkening.  Once defrosted you can add the cheese and serve as usual.

Hope you enjoy!

Basil & Goat Cheese Pesto

Yields 1 Cup

Preparation Time – 10 Minutes

Cooking Time – None

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh basil – washed and dried
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 1 tsp. salt
• 10 grinds pepper
• ½ cup to ¾ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ½ cup Wijngaard Chèvre Affiné

Preparation

1. Add all the ingredients except the oil to the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse several times until the mixture is combined and crumbly. 
2. With the food processor running, drizzle the extra virgin olive oil until you attain your desired consistency.
3. If using right away, grate cheese into the mixture and stir until combined. 
4. If freezing, omit the cheese and drizzle the top with a layer of extra virgin olive oil to prevent the mixture from darkening.