Pesto ala Genovese

It's rich, it's intensive, it takes 5 minutes to prepare and no cooking, it looks great and is very nutritive and healthy. Plus you can keep it in the fridge for about a month and always have it ready for a quick lunch.

Ingredients:

2 bunches of good quality fresh basil (about 80-10 leaves)

100 gr roasted pine nuts

100 gr parmesan cheese

2 cloves if garlic

salt

olive oil

Preparation:

The best was to do it is grind it up in a mortar, but if you don't have one use your electric chopper. Blend it all well together and add enough olive oil to make it a smooth but thick paste.

Alternatives:

Use walnuts instead of pine nuts. Use sundried tomatoes with half of the basil to make red pesto. Use parsley or ruccola instead of basil.

Use:

Toss some pesto with freshly cooked good quality pasta. Add it to your salads, especially good on a Caprese salad. Smear it on Italian style sandwiches, you may want to grill them afterwards. Pizza. Use it as a dip for vegetables, crackers, meat or fish. You may add it to bread or foccaccia dough. Coat potatoes with pesto and bake or add to other warm baked dishes. It is very versatile and yummy!