Basil & Oregano Pesto

Yield: Approximately 1 cup of pesto

Ingredients:

4 oz. fresh basil (NOTE: Remove the leaves from the stems.)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (NOTE: Sicilian olive oil works nicely here.)
¼ – ½ teaspoon coarse Sicilian sea salt (NOTE: Any sea salt of your choice is fine.)
2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
½ Sicilian dried red pepper, flaked (approximately 1 teaspoon of pepper flakes)
1/3 cup walnuts, whole or pieces (NOTE: Toast the walnuts on a hot cast iron skillet with a sprinkle of salt until lightly toasted, then pound in a mortar & pestle to a nice chunky texture.)
½ cup coarsely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1-2 tablespoons fresh flowering oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon Sicilian Seasoning from Merchant Spice Co.’s European Collection

Preparation:

Pureé the basil with the olive oil in a food processer along with coarse sea salt until it is of the desired consistency. If too thick, add more olive oil. Mix in the Sicilian Seasoning. To this mixture, add the minced garlic, dried red pepper, toasted walnuts, cheese and fresh oregano.

Among many delightful uses, the pesto coats pasta perfectly.

Enjoy!