2 Small Kitchens: Perfect Pesto and Pork

A little known fact (at least to me) is that basil happens to grow really well in Tucson during the month of October! My basil plant has been booming so we decided it would be a great time to make some pesto! Also, this recipe was the winner of our "Reader's Choice" poll we posted last week.

So, here you go... Enjoy this delicious semi-traditional pesto recipe:

First, grab some nuts and toast them up 2-3 minutes over low heat. We used a combo of pine nuts and almonds because it's what I had in the pantry, but you can use all pine nuts, all almonds, walnuts, or any other combo of your favorite type of nut. When they are lightly toasted, throw them in the food processor and pulse/grind them up until they create an almost flour-like consistency (picture below...).

Then, pop a few cloves of garlic from their skins and add them to the food processor.

Pulse the nuts and garlic together.

I had to work in two batches (because my food processor is so small), but if you have a big processor, just throw everything in together.

You'll need 40-50 big basil leaves, rinsed and dried, and about 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese.

Once the ingredients are processed into a thick paste, add 1/4-1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil until the mixture is the consistency of a thick soup. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl.

Cook 1 lb. of pasta according to the directions on the box.

We used fettucini, but you can use whatever type you like.

Drop the pasta in salted, boiling water.

Drain the pasta (reserving about a cup of the starchy cooking liquid in case you need it to smooth out the pesto). Pour the hot pasta into the mixing bowl with the pesto.

Working quickly, toss the hot pasta with the pesto. At this point, see how it looks. You might need to add a little more olive oil or more cheese (always!). Or a little more water to help it all stick. You want the pesto to coat the pasta evenly in a fresh, pleasantly green way.