Pesto/Pistou

One of the pleasures of warm weather is delicious, fresh pesto or pistou.  It is so easy and fresh tasting.  In the summer I have a garden full of fresh basil to use up but in the early spring I can get fresh basil from the grocery store for a quick taste of summer. 

This is actually a basil plant grown in a greenhouse for extra freshness.  Pistou is a version of pesto without pine nuts.  Although this time I did add ground pine nuts to the sauce, I sometimes prefer toasted pine nuts on top of the pasta. 

Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until light golden in colour.  Don't walk away, it won't take long.  

Grind Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano in a small food processor.

Add the basil and garlic cloves to the processor.

Add the pine nuts if desired and once again puree to mix.

Then slowly drizzle in olive oil while the processor is running to create a paste or sauce.

Once it is all mixed together it looks like this:

I like to serve pesto with linguini but any pasta is great.  

Toss the sauce with the cooked pasta and add a little reserved pasta water to thin it if necessary.

Serve on its own or top with grilled chicken and vegetables for a complete meal.