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Fresh Homemade Basil Pesto - Fix Bitter Pesto

Close up. Fresh Creamy basil pesto in a small white bowl on a delicate flowered napkin. Spoon sticking out and cherry tomatoes in background.
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EatSimpleFood.com

This fresh homemade basil pesto recipe gives tips to fix a bitter basil pesto or any bitter pesto for that matter. This is a fast and easy recipe to make and will not be bitter if fresh ingredients are used in a minimally processed way.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups packed basil leaves (~ 1.5 oz), flowers removed
  • 2 small cloves garlic (~ 2 tsp), remove any older green spouts
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts, make sure these nuts don't taste rancid like bitter oil
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, this needs to not taste bitter to start with, don't skimp!
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • ~ 1/2 -3/4 tsp salt
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients except olive oil to a food processor or blender.  
  • Blend, stop, and push down any basil remnants with a spatula.  Drizzle in the olive oil slowly while blending if that's an option.
  • Blend basil pesto until smooth in a blender if you want a smooth pesto.  Blend in pulses in a food processor if you want a chunky pesto (less processing makes a less bitter pesto).
  • Add salt, lemon juice, or olive oil to taste.  Happy pesto eating!  Beckie

Notes

Fix Bitter Pesto:

    • Buy better quality oils and nuts. Always taste them before making basil pesto to check if they are rancid or bitter.

    • Add a little lemon juice to the pesto. This helps mellows out any bitterness. Lemon juice also gives the basil pesto a little tang.

    • Add more Parmesan cheese.

    • Add more nuts (that taste good!).

    • Use fresh garlic or add less or even toast the garlic first before using in the pesto.

  • Make basil pesto with a mortar and pestle or by lightly pulsing pesto in a food processor. I'm no chemist but oils and the nuts in oils get denatured quickly and can change taste when blended on high speeds for a long time.

Find it online: https://eatsimplefood.com/basil-pesto/