pesto.

I've learned from the past that I should always try out a recipe before I present to a large audience; but I figured this dish was so incredibly simple, how could I screw this one up? 

For my future hubby to be's 30th birthday up in wine country, I cooked a pasta themed dinner, which included this tasty pesto dish. This was a huge hit for the 30 + guests who came up to celebrate that weekend, and I've been making this for my honey ever since!

Bon appetite!

Ingredients

4 cups (about 4 ounces) fresh basilleaves
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Sardo or Romano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and oil in a food processor andblend until a paste forms.
2. Add the Parmesan cheese, Pecorino cheese, salt, and pepper andpulse until smooth.
3. This is a crucial moment for your pesto, as you need to season with salt and pepper. Keep in mind that Parmigiano and Pecorino are both dry and salty cheeses, you have to taste your sauce a few times in order not to go overboard when you are seasoning it.
4. Cover the pesto and keep in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
5. Mix the pasta and the pesto, serve garnished with some grated Parmesan (just a touch), fresh ground pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Additional Tips & Tricks

Dose your sauce.... some people like the sauce thin, others like it very dense....which basically means less or more sauce that goes in the pasta...The Genovese tradition is to use a small ladle of the pasta water-the one you boiled the pasta in-and use it to dilute the sauce when you mix it in the pasta.