This week I finally saw large bunches of basil at the local farm stand. Large, fragrant leaves begging to be made into earthy pesto. There are few things that wouldn’t get an upgrade smothered in pesto- think pasta, grilled chicken or fish, potatoes… In my opinion no one has done Italian food better than Marcella Hazan, so if it’s new to you, here is her recipe for pesto.

Tips:

• Freezing pesto: Make the sauce through to the end of Step 2 and place in a freezer safe container. Cover with a layer of olive oil and freeze it without cheese and butter in it. Add the cheese and butter when it is thawed, just before serving.

• Pesto should never be heated, so let it thaw in the refrigerator and come to room temperature before using.

• You can make pesto out of anything. Can’t eat pine nuts, try walnuts. Want to try something more peppery, try arugula.

Pesto Genovese

Recipe from Marcella Hazan

Serves 6 (enough for a pound of pasta)

PREP 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed 

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons pine nuts

2 garlic cloves, chopped fine before putting in the processor 

Salt

1/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated

2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated

3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature

INSTRUCTIONS

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, chopped garlic, and an ample pinch of salt in the processor bowl, and process to a uniform, creamy consistency.

3. Transfer to a bowl, and mix in the two grated cheeses by hand. It is worth the slight effort to do it by hand to obtain the notably superior texture it produces.

4. When the cheese has been evenly amalgamated with the other ingredients, mix in the softened butter, distributing it uniformly into the sauce.

5. When spooning the pesto over pasta, dilute it slightly with a tablespoon or two of the hot water in which the pasta was cooked.