2010 Winning Recipe

Gail Christie, with 99 beans, was last year’s winner. This is her recipe:

2 cups basil
1/3 cup parsley
½ cup olive oil
2 T pine nuts
¾ cup cashews
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. salt
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 T Romano pecorino cheese
2 T plus 2 tsp butter, softened
Splashes of pasta water at serving
Process everything but cheese and butter until evenly mixed. Then add the cheese and finally, the butter.

2009 Winning Recipes and the Pesto Controversy

The 2009 winning pesto recipe made by Karen Pickett contained no basil!

Karen's Cilantro First Place Prize Winning Pesto Recipe

1 large bunch curly parsley
2 large bunches cilantro
2 garlic cloves
12 chive stalks
1/2 cup parmesean cheese, grated fine
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

In a blender, process garlic, pine nuts and parmesean. Add cilantro, parsley and chives until combined. Season with pepper. Add lemon juice and pour in olive oil in a steady stream while runs. Add salt to taste.

Barbara Stellenwerf - Second Place Recipe

1 cup fresh basil
1/2 to 1 cup fresh parsley
handful of fresh spinach
1/2 cup (generous) fresh grated Parmesean
1/4 cup fresh grated Romano
1/2 cup (or more) extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (more or less) toasted pine nuts
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
4 garlic cloves, thin sliced

Mix all ingredient except cheese in blender. Blend in cheese by hand.


 

Rachel Robert's Third Place Recipe

2 cups Genovese basil
1/2 cup spinach
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup cashews
1 tsp Old Bay
few grinds smoky chipolte spice blends
few grinds pepper

Blend garlic and nuts first. Then basil and spinach. Add spices, salt and lemon juice. Then add olive oil while processing. Stir in cheeses and sweet pepper.