Jo-Ann Power's Super Pesto

From Shirley: I totally love pesto and will have to try Jo-Ann's recipe for sure. I also love mysteries, and since I was just in DC, I'm going to grab Jo-Ann's book for sure! Now that I've finished my deadline book, I get to work on whittling down my TBR pile for a couple of days before I start hitting the next deadline hard :-). But here's another guest blog! In the meantime, check out Jo-Ann's recipe and her book, Missing Member!

I’m delighted to be invited to drop in to Shirley’s Blog for a chat!

Getting ready for hot, hot, hot August here in south Texas by whittling down on my TBR pile, now much higher since returning from the RWA Annual Conference north of us in Dallas.

Here in the Hill Country, we’ve had more rain this year than in the past 3! One of the ways to survive the summer (think 8 months out of the year, please) is to eat cool menus. That means lots of outdoor grilling and much dining in the many restaurants that feature patios.

At home, we’ve started to grow our own herbs. Now, because my husband and I are transplants from Washington, D.C., learning how to grow crops in the rocky soil of the Hill Country has required a major mind reorganization. Here, growing things means learning when to move crops to the shade—and what can grow easily without using any bug sprays that promise relief from little critters.

This year, I know we’ve finally gotten it right. Why?

Because I have a BUMPER crop of basil, oregano and Italian parsley. And for those of you who like wonderful pesto, this can be heaven from your back yard—to your plate.

So here is my recipe. Without pine nuts (for those who are allergic), this is a divine spread for sandwiches, a base for pasta and shrimp, or a base for a salad dressing!

In a blender, drop:

1 ½ cups of fresh basil, torn into small pieces and lightly packed into a pyrex measuring cup
2-6 cloves of garlic, sliced or minced, to taste
¾ cup of shredded parmesan cheese
Sea salt, to taste

And slowly pour in:
¾ cup of olive oil.

Puree!

This is so good, you may even want to use it as a skin cream!

No, no! Just kidding!

Enjoy!
Best,
Jo-Ann Power
See why Jo-Ann’s latest book MISSING MEMBER was the featured selection at THE MYSTERY GUILD!
www.jo-annpower.com