Homemade Pesto

This is delicious. This is exactly why you should plant basil every summer. This is what you should slather on pizza, stir into hot pasta, and dip your bread and tomatoes in. This is what you should make right now.

It's ridiculous to think about how long it takes to make this - about 5 minutes - and the amazing payoff at the end. Easily one of the most rewarding things I've ever made.

Don't skimp on the ingredients. Use fresh basil you picked yourself. Olive oil that is so good you'd eat it straight off a spoon if you had to. Fresh pine nuts - not the 3-year old jar in the back corner of your fridge. And don't forget the cheese. Use the parmesan cheese you grate yourself. A parmesan cheese that, when you do grate it yourself, you have to fight the urge to stuff it all into your mouth before you use it...

Ingredients:

• 2 cups packed basil
• 2 cloves peeled garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• salt (healthy pinch)

Directions:

1. Wash and dry your basil. Toss into a food processor along with pine nuts and garlic. Pulse 3 times.
2. With blade running, add in olive oil. With the blade off, add half the cheese and salt. Pulse a couple times to combine. Remove from food processor and stir in remaining cheese.