Cashew Pesto with Basil

This is a delicious recipe by Mariel Hemingway, as featured in the October 2009 edition of the Laptop Lunch Times, which can be found here!

Ingredients

 * 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
 * 1 head organic garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
 * 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
 * 1/2 cup loosely packed Italian parsley
 * 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (more or less to taste)
 * 8 ounces organic raw cashews
 * Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation
1. Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic loses its sharp taste and turns lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Place garlic in the work bowl of a food processor.

2. Add basil, parsley, cashews, lemon juice and remaining olive oil to the garlic in the food processor. Blend, scraping down sides of work bowl from time to time, until mixture resembles a thin paste. Add more olive oil if necessary. Taste pesto and adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper.

3. Serve over veggie “noodles” or cooked organic pasta.