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PESTO GENOVESE
Ingredients
3 cups of fresh basil leaves (smaller leaves preferred)
3 tablespoons of pine nuts
1 clove of garlic
1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
a mixture of 4 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus ½ tablespoon Pecorino Romano
1/3 cup mildly flavored extra-virgin olive oil
Optional: ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Preparation (you can do it the traditional way using a mortar and pestle and a lot of elbow grease, or use the two-step method below)
1. Place all the ingredients into a small food processor. Blend as finely as you can, pausing to scrape down the sides of the processor until you have a paste.
2. Scrape the paste into a Weck jar or other jar slightly wider than the immersion blender. (I use a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup.) Process using an immersion blender until you have a smooth emulsified paste.
3. Use three tablespoons of the pesto paste for every four ounces of dry pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente and drain reserving a small amount of the cooking water. Add the cooked pasta to the paste and mix well. The water from the pasta will loosen the paste to create your pesto sauce. If necessary, add a small amount of the reserved pasta cooking water to achieve the sauce consistency you prefer.
3. Garnish with shaved Parmesan or a sprinkle of toasted Panko bread crumbs.
Note: try walnuts in place of pine nuts