When I grow basil I grow enough to make a three year supply of pesto (and I eat a lot of it). Sunshine is precious in my yard so I can't grow enough of anything every year - everybody has to take turns being the teachers pet. Anyway by far the easiest way to make pesto is with one of those old hand crank meat grinder thingy's that clamp to the side of the table and have the interchangeable tips so that you can make a fine chop or a coarse chop. You can run all your ingredients through the mill and just mix them when they come out (I use a huge bowl to catch them as they exit the grinder). If you run short of any part of the recipe you can continue to grind and store your half made pesto and simply write on it what it is and what is missing from the recipe. Some folks don't like as much garlic as I do. I store mine in plastic freezer bags. I plop a couple of cupfulls of pesto into the zipper top bag and smoosh it around so that it gets most of the air out of the bag. I seal it shut and lay it flat in the freezer. After the bags have froozen solid you can stand them upright like books on a shelf. When you want some you simply break off a corner and then open the bag and remove it. I like to use good quality olive oil, garlic, some sort of nut - can be pine nuts, pecans or even sunflower seeds.

Sounds delicious! I'd be tempted to add a slice of fresh (!) mozzarella cheese, too.

I freeze in a muffin tin---an old aluminum on that's fairly shallow. Then I pop out the little "pesto pucks," about 1/3 cup each (a good amount for how I cook) and wrap 'em individually. Works great except for the fact that it always makes my husband run around singing "Pesto, pesto pucks" to the tune of "Disco Duck." Zabby

Islay, I assume you wanted this recipe? Goat Cheese Ravioli with Cilantro Pesto - pesto recipe follows 1/2 lb unripened goat cheese 1 1/2 TBL chopped parsley 3/4 tsp minced lemon peel, yellow part only ground white pepper 36 wonton skins (or make your own pasta if you prefer) 2 TBL drained oil packed dried tomatoes, cut in slivers 2 TBL toasted pine nuts (see pesto recipe) Mix cheese, parley and lemon peel with pepper to taste (don't whirl in processor or the parsley will turn it all a pale, unappetizing green). Place about 2 1/2 tsp cheese mixture in center of 1 wonton skin (keep remaining skins covered with plastic wrap). Brush skin around filling with water. Lay another skin on top of filling; with a 2 1/2" to 3" wide biscuit cutter, cut to make ravioli round; discard scraps. To seal, press skins close to filling with fingers. As ravioli are cut, place on a floured 10" by 15" pan and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat to fill remaining wontons. If making ahead, chill, covered, up to 6 hours. Equally divide pesto among 6 salad plates; spread slightly. Meanwhile, bring 2 1/2 to 3 qt water to boiling in a 5-6 qt pan on high heat. Add ravioli, cook, uncovered, until skins are tender to bite, 2-3 min. With a slotted spoon, lift out ravioli, drain briefly, and place 3 on each plate. Garnish with tomatoes and reserved nuts. Makes 6 first course servings - from Dolores Cakebread, of Cakebread Cellars Cilantro Pesto In a 6-8' skillet shake 6 TBL pine nuts over med heat until golden; pour from pan, reserve 2 TBL for garnish. In a 3-4 qt pan, bring 2 qt water to a boil over high heat. Immerse 2 c lightly packed, coarsely chopped fresh spinach and 1 c lightly packed, chopped cilantro into water. Cook JUST until they turn bright green, about 30 seconds. Drain, (reserve 1/4 c cooking water), plunge greens into cold water, drain again and let cool, press out excess water. In a food processor, whirl spinach, cilantro, 4 TBL toasted pine nuts, 1/4 cup reserved water, 1 clove garlic, 1-2 TBL lemon juice, until smooth. Per serving 343 cal, 47% from fat; 16g protein; 18g fat (8g saturated); 32g carb; 592 mg sodium; 34 mg cholesterol