Angelo was kind enough to let him tend to his garden, as well as pick what we needed. Something needs to be said about a fresh stir fry of vegetables. It was just a wonderful experience. Angelo’s wife would also come by from time to time, and if anyone knows me, I poke around for recipes, especially from the older Italian women. During this time, she gave me her recipe for pesto, and it was amazing. I took her recipe and tweaked it, making it my own. This is a sure hit with fettuccine, or spread on a toasted baguette, with fresh tomato slices.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of packed basil
- 4 cloves of garlic, rough chopped
- pinch of fresh cracked pepper, or 1/4 tsp
- 3/4 tsp of course salt
- 1/3 cup of pine nuts, toasted, place in skillet on medium heat, moving around for about 5 minutes
- 1/2 cup of good olive oil
- 3/4 cup of good Parmigiano Regiano, finely grated
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
Use good ingredients here. To a blender or food processor add in everything but the cheese and butter. Puree the mixture, making a nice creamy sauce. You will first notice the color. A green that is out of this world! Remove the mixture, and place into a bowl. Add the butter, and cheese, and mix really well. Taste it. It has got to be one of the better flavors in this world. I wanted to keep eating off the spoon, as did my wife. We had to stop.
I served mine with fettuccine, cooked al dente. Once your pasta is cooked, and drained, add the pasta to a large bowl, with the pesto. Mix well, and serve. Trust me on this one, this is a must make. Pasta or no pasta, this one is a winner.