In Praise of the Pesto Party
Louisville urban gardener and foodie-at-heart Marie Honeycutt has found the perfect way to combine a few of her favorite things: gardening, friends and pesto.
What started five years with a handful of girlfriends enjoying wine, dinner and making pesto together has turned into a late-summer tradition for about 10 friends and their children. Those with gardens bring herbs and those without bring other ingredients.
Depending on the basil harvest, each person typically has about five ice trays full of pesto to take home and freeze. Afterward, the group roasts fresh veggies from the garden, pouring them over a huge bowl of pasta with a heaping scoop of pesto and freshly grated parmesan.
“Bringing friends together yearly to share their basil crop at a pesto party resonates with my own philosophy of awareness of where my food comes from, creative cooking and enjoyment of friends company,” says Honeycutt.
Marie Honeycutt’s Go-To Pesto Recipe
- 2 cups basil
- 1 cup parsley
- ¼ cup nuts (any will do, such as pine nuts, cashews, walnuts, pecans)
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½–¾ cup cheese (your favorites, such as gouda, asiago)
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Blend ingredients in food processor. Distribute in ice cube trays. Place in freezer. Once frozen, remove from trays and store in airtight container in freezer.
