• Quickly blanch the basil: Bring water to a simmer in a large Dutch oven. Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of ice water and set aside.
• When water is simmering, quickly drop basil leaves into the Dutch oven, stirring quickly, and blanch for 5 to 10 seconds or until the leaves are just wilted. Quickly remove leaves to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Be careful not to over cook!
• Drain the basil leaves and then wrap them in paper towels and press out as much of the water as possible.
• In a food processor, add the blanched basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts and lemon juice. Pulse the mixture a few times until you have an even, but roughly chopped mixture.
• Then with the processor running, slowly add the olive oil. Process until olive oil is just combined. Do not process for too long since you want to have a little bit of texture to your basil and not a puree.
• Remove the basil mixture to a bowl and stir in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Taste the pesto and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking.
• Store in an airtight container for about a week in the refrigerator or freeze in ice cube trays and then transfer cubes to a freezer bag and store in the freezer for approximately 6 months. Makes approximately 1 1/4 cup.

Variations to try:

• Replace half of the basil with: spinach, arugula, parsley, cilantro, mint, kale or artichoke hearts.
• Replace pine nuts with: walnuts, pistachios, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, or hemp seeds.