I love all pesto, but when it’s homemade you absolutely can’t beat it. It’s so fresh and delicious that you really don’t need to mess with it. This pasta is fabulous hot, but—bonus—it’s also great cold. So you can have it for dinner one night and then take the leftovers for lunch the next day.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　1 (2/3-ounce) package fresh basil

　　4 cloves garlic

　　1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling

　　1/2 cup olive oil

　　3 tablespoons pine nuts

　　2 cups grape tomatoes

　　1 pound uncooked pasta

　　Salt and pepper

　　

Step 1

Remove the stems from the basil and place the leaves in the blender. Peel the garlic and add it to the blender. Add the Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and pine nuts and purée until smooth.

　　

Step 2

Place the tomatoes in a colander. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until al dente. Pour the pasta into the colander over the tomatoes and drain well. Pour the pasta and tomatoes back into the pan and add the pesto. Stir until the pasta is thoroughly coated and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

　　

cooking 101

Step 3

Pine nuts are the seeds from the pinecones of certain types of pine trees. Unshelled pine nuts have a long shelf life, but once they’re shelled they can become rancid within a few weeks. Since they are usually sold shelled in the U.S., make sure you only buy as much as you need and use them promptly. If you end up with more than you need, you can freeze them and take them out when you need them.

　　College Vegetarian Cooking