Basil Pesto Should Not Look Like This!

This is not the image of basil pesto I wanted to show you!  I think I pureed when I was suppose to pulse!  Whatever the reason, my basil pesto was a complete disaster.  It was like soup and very salty.  Hoping my husband was going to say “this is a very hard thing to make” I asked him how difficult is this recipe?  And of course his answer, “this is a very easy recipe”.  So great, I messed up an easy recipe!

So what went wrong?  I started with the right ingredients.

I blended the garlic and pine nuts, like I was suppose to.

Then added the basil, pepper and salt!

According to my husband, this was my first mistake.  He said I should have waited to add the salt until after the parmesan cheese.  Because parmesan cheese is naturally salty, it would have been better to add the cheese first.  Then if it needs salt, add in a little at a time.  Good advice.  Basil Pesto lesson #1 ~ add cheese before salt and add salt only if needed.

I think another mistake I made was the garlic.  I had to adjust the recipe because I didn’t have enough basil.  But I don’t think I calculated the adjustment to the garlic right.  Basil Pesto lesson #2 ~ always triple check your calculations when adjusting ingredients in a recipe.

I was kidding but I do think I made a mistake with my food processor/blender!  Basil Pesto lesson #3 ~ there is a big difference between pulse and puree!

Bottom line…when bread can’t even help your pesto, you know you need to start over.  Unfortunately my basil plant is out of basil.  I’m going to have to wait a few more days.

Do you have any helpful advice when making basil pesto?  I’d love some help!