Pesto

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There are a lot of "cookbook" recipes for pesto, but they never seem to make pesto just right. I guess the main key to good pesto is to toss out the recipes and rely on your senses. I would love to be able to give you a pesto recipe with quantities, but it just never turns out the same way twice. Sorry, this may not help much (no exact quantities given), but it may steer you in the right direction. This is a pesto recipe I came up with to use two kinds of basil that I grew this year. Note- if you want a more traditional pesto taste, use all sweet basil and all pine nuts. Also, plan on having more parmesan cheese than you think you will use because you always need more. You can experiment with different nuts as well (hazelnuts lend a wonderful flavor). If you want to use as a marinade or a sauce to brush on vegetables, chicken, or seafood before grilling, just add more extra virgin olive oil to it.

Basil (use 1/2 sweet basil and 1/2 lemon basil)
Garlic, minced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese, shredded
Pine Nuts
Almonds, slivered (without skins)
Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Put several double handfuls of basil in a food processor or blender. Add several teaspoons of garlic and a good amount of extra virgin olive oil. Add several handfuls of parmesan cheese, a small palmful of pine nuts, and a small palmful of almonds. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Process on pulse- this is important because otherwise it will have the consistency of baby food (if this happens, you can fix it by adding a little more basil, cheese, nuts, etc.). Look at the consistency of the pesto. If it's too thick, add more oil; too thin, add more cheese and nuts. Smell the pesto- it should smell like basil with faint sweet undertones. You should be able to tell if you have enough garlic in it. Finally, taste. Adjust the seasonings, if necessary, and pulse for only a second or two. Taste again.

Pesto is very forgiving. You have as many chances to "get it right", that is, make it how you desire, as you want. The final metamorphisis should make you sigh and have sensuous daydreams.