Well…. look who we have here. You were having a good day and volunteered to host a party for your friends. But you don’t know how to cook! How are you going to feed a crowd without leading them on to your culinary faux pas?

You’ll be well on your way to “Wowing” your guests if you just follow these few simple steps and trust your instincts!

Mise En Place

Us Culinarians have a term in the kitchen. It’s called “Mise En Place” and it is very important for any chef to be successful in the kitchen. First, lets go over what ingredients you need (which is a delightfully small quantity) and which substitutes might be acceptable to make your own pesto creations.

The Base

The base of a pesto is typically the following:

• Basil

• Pine Nuts

• Parmesean

• Olive Oil

A pro-move would be breaking this down a step further. So a “pesto” is essentially just a combination of herbs, nuts, cheese, and fat. If you wanted to get a little crazy you could substitute some of the basil for carrot stems and use almonds or even bread crumbs in place of the pine nuts. BOOM! you have a dish that is now uniquely YOU!

BUT, as much as you love your friends, their connoisseurship doesn’t involve food, so it’s best to start with the classics to keep things moving nicely.

The Process

Simple blend together your basil and pine nuts while slowly adding an olive oil drizzle. Once the sauce begins to thin out and looking like a pesto, begin to add the cheese, and black pepper to taste.

ENJOY!

Keep spreading love, good people!

Best,

Chef Jake

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