Pesto !

It has been a while, but we have not stopped (either cooking, or eating)!

Summer brings pesto, and what joy that we both love this.

(adapted from “Pesto by the Food Processor Method”, in Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, by Marcella Hazan, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2001. 688pp)


For the Processor
2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
4 garlic cloves, chopped fine before putting into the processor
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons pine nuts

NOTE: if you plan to freeze, you will only need the above ingredients, and the Processor steps 1 and 2 below are the stopping points before freezing. The rest of the ingredients are needed to finish after thawing out, and before serving with pasta.

For completion by hand
½ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated romano cheese (optional; can substitute with more parmigiano-reggiano)
3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
salt, as needed to taste, after adding cheeses

1. Briefly soak and wash the basil in cold water, and gently pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels.

2. Put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, and chopped garlic in the processor bowl, and process to a uniform, creamy consistency.

3. Transfer to a bowl, and mix in the grated cheeses, by hand, to obtain the right texture. When evenly mixed with the other ingredients, check for saltiness and add salt as desired. Then, mix in the butter, uniformly.

4. When saucing the pasta, first cook the pasta al dente. Spoon the sauce into a warm sauté pan with a little melted butter and a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water to slightly thin the sauce. Use tongs to transfer hot drained pasta into the sauté pan with the warm sauce, and mix thoroughly before serving.