Cooking: Basil Past Its Prime? Make Pesto!

Fresh pesto atop a tomato & avocado salad

Ok, so in my denial of oncoming winter, I didn't harvest all of my basil before it froze.  But I'll be darned if I'll let fresh basil go to waste.  So what is the best thing to do with sad-looking basil?  Make pesto of course!  This works not only with frozen basil from your patio, but also the fresh basil you bought at the store and then a few days later started looking a bit dark and wilted in the fridge.  All of it's flavor is still there and it's plenty safe to eat - it just has lost it's plant-like pep. 
Here's a visual story of my waste-not, want-not basil story:

So, I brought in all my sad, frozen basil and washed it.

I stripped all the leaves, put them in a small food processor, and drizzled a bit of olive oil, added a handful of pinenuts that I keep in my freezer for just such 'special' occasions, added a dash of salt, a dash of pepper, and a spoonful of minced garlic.  Red pepper flakes can be added as well for a nice kick.

Process well in the food processor - and this is what it looked like.

I used a spoonful right away to top a tomato & avocado salad that comprised the majority of my lunch that day.  Yum!!!

The remainder of the pesto I put in a small plastic container and put it in my freezer.  What will it become in the next few weeks?  Well, add some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and it is a divine dressing for salad.  Add a couple dollops to hot pasta, toss and you've got a great pasta sauce.  Or, toss it in with the next panzanella salad you make.  It would be great as a sauce for pizza, or a flavor booster to spaghetti sauce or minestrone soup.  Yes - I'm in love with pesto.  If you are a recipe-bound cook, you can find plenty of pesto recipes, but it truly doesn't require any exact measuring.  Just add this and that until the right consistency and texture meet with your approval.  Yes, pesto is that easy and that versatile.  So the next time you aim to chuck that wilted basil - take 5 minutes and process it into pesto!