Genovese Pesto

Photo: flickr user geishaboy500

Ingredients

1 walnuts, shelled

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1 teaspoon coarse salt

3 clvs garlic

3 cups basil leaves

4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

4 ounces grated Romano cheese

Preparation

Place all ingredients except 1 cup olive oil in food processor and grind very fine. Add remaining olive oil and blend a few seconds until very smooth.

Traditionally you never use neither pepper nor butter, and walnuts must be reduced (1 walnut for 3 cups basil). It must be the consistency of a firm cream that you soften, when adding to your cooked pasta or gnocchi, with few spoonfuls of the same water used for cooking pasta, or (but some of the oldest solid genoeses would shiver in horror to see this) a small amount of lukewarm cream.... Enjoy!!!:-) Elena