Pasta al Pesto Genovese

Ingredients

• 1 lb trofie, linguine, or spaghetti
• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Reserved pasta water

Method

1. Blend: Blend basil, pine nuts, garlic, and Parmesan in a food processor. Stream in olive oil until smooth. Season with salt.

2. Cook: Cook pasta. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.

3. Toss: Toss hot pasta with pesto and 1/4 cup pasta water until creamy. Adjust consistency.

What You're Practicing

• Don't over-process — a slightly coarse texture is traditional.
• Blanching the basil for 10 sec before blending keeps it bright green (optional but effective).
• Pesto freezes beautifully — make a big batch, freeze in ice cube trays.