Broccoli and Basil Pesto

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Over the course of our lives, we all fall victim in one way or another to a good sale. I recently fell victim to a broccoli sale. Yes, you read that right, broccoli. What can I tell you? It was a great deal. Little did I realize how far that 2-pound bag of broccoli florets would take me. You are the winners here because I did end up with some unique and wonderful recipes that I would encourage you to try, although unlike me, not in four days of succession. We won’t even go there.

The first that I’m going to share makes use of fresh seasonal basil as well as broccoli. This is so good that I was, quite literally, eating it with a spoon. Who needs pasta when you have something this tasty? Aside from a quick blanch of your florets, this goes together in a flash.

Broccoli and Basil Pesto

1½ c. broccoli florets*
1 c. packed fresh basil leaves
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 t. lemon zest
2 large garlic cloves
¼ c. Parmesan cheese
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
Freshly grated black pepper, be generous

Bring a rather large pot of boiling water of water to a boil and add florets. Allow water to return to the boil, and boil for 30 seconds. Immediately empty into a strainer to drain, and then flip into a waiting pan of ice water to chill in order to stop further cooking. Drain and place in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients, and process until smooth. If it’s too thick for your liking, add a little more olive oil, if it’s too thin, add a little more Parmesan cheese.

*These don’t have to be small, mine were large. Don’t trouble yourself to break them down into tiny bits.