Pesto
- 1 or 2 plump garlic cloves
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 3 cups loosely packed basil leaves, stems removed, leaves washed and dried
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 to 3 tablespoons grated pecorino Romano to taste
- 2 tablespoons soft butter, optional
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- By Hand: Smash the garlic with l/2 teaspoon salt and the pine nuts to break them up, then add the basil leaves a handful at a time.
- (If youre impatient, you can speed things up by tearing the leaves into smaller pieces first.)
- Grind them, using a circular motion, until you have a fairly fine paste with very small flecks of leaves.
- Briefly work in the cheeses and butter, then stir in the olive oil.
- Taste for salt.
- In a Food Processor: Use the same ingredients but in the following order: Process the garlic, salt, and pine nuts until fairly finely chopped, then add the basil and olive oil.
- When smooth, add the cheeses and butter and process just to combine.
garlic, salt, pine nuts, basil, freshly grated parmesan, butter, extra virgin olive oil
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/pesto (may not work)