Presto! Pesto!

I love food.  When I meet someone new, we will invariably be discussing food within a short amount of time.  What I have gathered from these conversations, is that many people think that cooking or baking is a complicated process.  Let me take some pressure off - it's not difficult to make something that is really delicious and healthy.  

Here's a recipe for pesto that is super easy and very versatile.  You can use it on pasta; as a spread on a panini; instead of, or with, your regular pizza sauce; with eggs; in mashed potatoes - the possibilities are endless.

Recipe:  Pesto

A couple of big handfuls of basil - 2 cups loose?
1 small jar of pine nuts, toasted
5 cloves of garlic
~ a cup of grated parmesan, or ~ 1/2 cup sliced
~ 1/2 - 3/4 cup good olive oil
salt

Toast the pine nuts first.  Beware: they go from lightly-toasted to burnt-to-a-crisp in a matter of seconds.  Put a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over low-moderate heat.  Remove them from the heat before you think they are done, as they will continue to cook in the hot oil.  Continually stir, agitate, swish, flip until they look like this:

Throw everything into a food processor.  If you don't have one, you can use a blender.  Add the oil gradually until the pesto is the desired consistency.

Some fun substitutions are:  walnuts for pine nuts or fresh garden peas instead of basil.  Use your imagination, because really, anything goes well with cheese and garlic!