Pesto Recipe & Soccer

Hey all... Been lazy the last couple of days. Well, lazy and BUSY - on Sunday, anyway. I made a red miso dressing (for salads or drizzling), a rhubarb crisp, a yummy lentil salad with sun-dried tomatoes, and GI muffins. I'll post all of the recipes eventually, but for now, I want to give you my pesto recipe:

2 large bunches of fresh basil, preferably organic.
3 tablespoons pinenuts, toasted in a dry frying pan
2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup + olive oil
Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Rinse the basil leaves in a colander and pat dry using paper towels or a clean dishtowel. Add a portion of basil leaves to food processor or blender along with some of the pinenuts, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil. Process until smooth, and repeat until you've used all of the ingredients. Pour/scrape pesto into a sealable plastic container and mix in lemon juice (from about half a lemon - this prevents the pesto from turing black with oxidation and keeps it nice and green). Mix well and stir in a bit of salt and freshly ground pepper to taste - and voilà, summer on your counter! Store for up to a week in the fridge. Serve on hot pasta, with mussels, or in sandwiches.

After I finish, I take the blender container, a spoon, and Jasper out on the deck. I dig out and eat the remaining dribs and draps with the spoon, then I slop up as much as I can in my right hand, which Jasper then licks off. This was a habit I started with Samson and one that Jasper is happy to contiune. Normally, this would be a perk reserved for top dog Kaiser, but in this respect, Kaiser takes after his other daddy and spurns fresh garlic.

I've been watching a bit of Euro 2008. So many hunky players! Here is one of my favourites thus far, Fabbio Grosso from Italy!