1cuptightly packed basil leaveswashed and spin-dried
1/2cupgrated Parmesan cheeseapproximately 40g
1/4cuproasted pine nutsor use cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds
1garlic clove (optional)grated tp a paste.
1/2teaspoonsea salt
1/4 teaspoonblack pepper
8tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Boil water and cook the pasta according to instruction. Make sure pasta is cooked al dente, firm to the bite.
While pasta is cooking, wash and spin-dry the basil leaves. Do not use the thick stems.
Roast the nuts in a small frying pan. Watch them closely as you do, they tend to burn quite easily. Set aside.
Place parmesan cheese, basil leaves, minced garlic, cooled nuts, salt, pepper and half of the olive oil into a food processor and blend it on high until you have a smooth pesto. You might need to do it a couple of times, srapping the pesto from the sides of the food processor's bowl. Add the rest of olive oil as needed.Alternatively you can use imeersion blender.
Reserve some cooking water from pasta before draining it. Half of a cup is more than enough.
Drain the pasta and returm back to to the pan. Do not place the pan on a hot stove.
Add pesto sauce to the pasta and mix everything together until the psata is covered with pesto sauce evenly. Add a tablespoon of water or olive oil if you need a little more creaminess. Do not add a lot of water, it will dilute the suace, leaving you with plain pasta.
Sprinkle some fresh parmesan cheese on top and serve immediately.
Notes
A great substitute for pine nuts are cashew nuts or pumpkin seeds.
Grana Padano is an excellent alternative to Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
If you cook for little kids be careful how much garlic you add to the pesto. Garlic can be quite spicy and when added too much can make the pesto not so enjoyable for the little ones. The best way to add garlic is to mince it to a smooth paste, so there are no actual garlic pieces in the sauce.