Marian! We grow a crapload of basil every year in our roof-garden for pesto, and have always blanched it. I don't think there's any flavor downside (or benefit) to doing so, but it avoids the basil turning black in the fridge before you get around to processing it, which is heartbreaking.
Hot tips: you don't really need an ice bath, cold tap water is fine, since you aren't really trying to keep it crisp or what-not. And we don't dry it, beyond letting it drain in a colander and then salad-spinning the hell out of it.
The other week I was like “I’m gonna blanch so I can have extra green pesto” so I put leaves in the boiling water but completely forgot about the ice water part so I just made pesto with boiled basil lmao
I'm looking forward to trying this! my biggest issue with pesto is that it either seems to break or be clumpy. And holy smokes trying it in my molcajete is always a freaking disaster.
Marian! We grow a crapload of basil every year in our roof-garden for pesto, and have always blanched it. I don't think there's any flavor downside (or benefit) to doing so, but it avoids the basil turning black in the fridge before you get around to processing it, which is heartbreaking.
Hot tips: you don't really need an ice bath, cold tap water is fine, since you aren't really trying to keep it crisp or what-not. And we don't dry it, beyond letting it drain in a colander and then salad-spinning the hell out of it.
The other week I was like “I’m gonna blanch so I can have extra green pesto” so I put leaves in the boiling water but completely forgot about the ice water part so I just made pesto with boiled basil lmao
I'm looking forward to trying this! my biggest issue with pesto is that it either seems to break or be clumpy. And holy smokes trying it in my molcajete is always a freaking disaster.