Pasta with Pesto Sauce
Living in San Francisco on Russian Hill, this pesto was made for me one cold evening - rich, earthy, Italian, and fresh. This recipe is tried and true. Pesto sauce takes 5 minutes, so have your pasta ready. This dish goes well with a robust Italian red wine. Keep leftover pesto in a jar with a small float of olive oil on top. ~Mark
Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
1 ounce parmesan cheese (Reggiano is best, double amount if you love cheese)
2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
1 large clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts - well toasted
3/4 cup olive oil
| 1 | Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving a ladle of pasta water. |
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| 2 | Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, grind the cheese until fine. With motor running on medium, through food tube add garlic, salt, pine nuts, and black pepper, process 1 minute. |
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| 3 | Pour one-third of the cheese-nut mixture into a bowl. Set aside. |
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| 4 | To processor, add basil and oil and blend for 1 minute. |
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| 5 | Add back cheese-nut mix and blend on low speed until just incorporated, about 20 seconds - avoid a smooth, bland texture. |
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| 6 | Toss pasta with pesto for a good minute. If necessary, loosen mixture by adding a little pasta water for proper consistency. Serve with cheese. |
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notes
NOTE Pasta should be cooked al dente - so the 'tooth' of the pasta absorbs sauces. Often restaurants swirl butter in a pan with pesto and pasta.
