You need more parm than you think. And by parm I mean good quality, freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to add pine nuts. Use good olive oil. And some grated parm.

I actually did use pine nuts, but they weren’t roasted. Didn’t know Parmesan was needed.

That was in the recipe.

I sub walnuts for the pine nuts too.

Anonymous wrote:OP, here. Thanks for the feedback. Obviously my biggest flub was forgetting the cheese. After tasting it again, it’s pretty obvious that it’s needed. I did remember the pine nuts, but maybe need some better oil too. It was a frantic attempt. Next batch will be better.

Don’t wing it

Anonymous wrote:How did you make it bitter? Did you accidentally drop a lemon seed in there or something?

I'm surprised it turned out so bad. I eat vegan pesto all the time and even without cheese it's completely delicious (usually they use nutritional yeast but even without you'd still have a tasty garlicky-parsley-nutty paste). Maybe you're just not a good cook.

Low quality olive oil would make it bad.

I also do a lot of vegan pesto and have used pine nuts, walnuts, pistachios, or pumpkin seeds to good results. Almonds are okay, but recommend starting with slivers. Sunflower seeds was not a favorite but that's a personal taste thing. Pecans were delicious to me but it might not be universally appealing since their flavor is really unique.

I rarely use lemon, but I do use excellent extra virgin olive oil.

After making lots of variations of pesto with fresh basil from the garden over the summer, the Costco one just doesn't taste good anymore.

Anonymous wrote:This is classic Pesto Genovese(Basil Pesto)
4 cups packed basil, blanched briefly in boiling water and shocked in ice water
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄2 cup finely grated parmesan
1⁄4 cup pine nuts
3 tbsp. finely grated pecorino
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Coarse sea salt, to taste

Process basil, oil, parmesan, pine nuts, pecorino, and garlic in a food processor until smooth; season with salt. Blanching is important.

The blanching is not important OP, unless you care about the looks of it. Unblanched basil = darker pesto, blanched pesto = bright green pesto. Dont stress about blanching since it seems youre a very beginner cook- just dump it all in the food processor and do what you can. Pesto is easy peasy.

How did you make it bitter? Did you accidentally drop a lemon seed in there or something?

I'm surprised it turned out so bad. I eat vegan pesto all the time and even without cheese it's completely delicious (usually they use nutritional yeast but even without you'd still have a tasty garlicky-parsley-nutty paste). Maybe you're just not a good cook.

Do I have to go to a farmers market to get big quantities of basil? I didn’t see it in my grocery stores thru the summer.

Anonymous wrote:You need to add pine nuts. Use good olive oil. And some grated parm.

Pistachios or walnuts are better.

Or buy the Kirkland brand at Costco. It's excellent.

This is classic Pesto Genovese(Basil Pesto)
4 cups packed basil, blanched briefly in boiling water and shocked in ice water
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄2 cup finely grated parmesan
1⁄4 cup pine nuts
3 tbsp. finely grated pecorino
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Coarse sea salt, to taste

Process basil, oil, parmesan, pine nuts, pecorino, and garlic in a food processor until smooth; season with salt. Blanching is important.

Quality oil is important!

Anonymous wrote:Walnuts are a great sub for pine nuts.

Good to know. Walnuts are probably cheaper too.

Walnuts are a great sub for pine nuts.