I love making pestos. They’re not only so simple to make and require such little ingredients but they’re full of flavor and taste fantastic! The only thing I would do differently is to have nice crusty bread for serving. It’ll balance out all that fresh, salty flavor of deliciousness.

Linguini al Pesto Genovese (adapted from Love & Olive Oil):

Yields 4 servings

  • 4 cups packed basil
  • 1 pound linguini or fettuccine
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2/3 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Crusty bread, for serving

In a large pot of boiling salted water, blanche basil leaves until vibrant green, about 20-30 seconds.

Using a slotted spoon, remove from boiling water and immediately immerse in an ice water bath (this will halt the cooking process); drain. Reserve boiling pot of water.

Add pasta to reserved boiling pot of water and cook according to package instructions; reserve 1/4 cup pasta water and drain well.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, olive oil, Parmesan, pine nuts and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

In a large bowl, immediately combine the hot pasta and pesto, allowing the flavors to soak. Add more pasta water as needed.

Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan.

Printer-Friendly Version