Genovese Pesto

We pulled out the last batch of pesto from our basil harvest not too long ago and it reminded me of the time, Daniel and I backpacked through parts of western Europe in the spring of 2010.

I am not entirely sure what possessed me to order tickets in french, but it turns out my french pronouciation of Genova sounded an awful lot like, Geneve. So, I accidentally ordered tickets to Geneve, Switzerland instead of Genova, Italy.

By the time we found ourselves one train stop away from the alps we were shivering. We felt thoroughly under dressed as everyone around us had ski gear and very warm coats. I quickly made my way back to the ticket counter! Needless to say, our adventures took many serendipitous turns, a story for another time, but we really got to experience Cinque Terre as a local. Long story short, we found ourselves without a place to stay and sweet old couple, Santina and Lucerno took us in for the night, sent us to bed with toast, parma, nutella and that was how we came to discover our favorite pesto.

1. Gather:
   -Genovese Basil (3 cups of leaves packed), if growing your own, you may consider using the blossoms or even stalks, just make sure to grind longer)
   - 4 garlic gloves
   -1 teaspoon (tsp) salt
   -1/2 tsp ground pepper (optional)
   -4 tablespoon (TBS) pine nuts (toasted and cooled)
   - 1/2 pecorino or vegan parmesan
   -1 cup olive oil oil
   -Food processor
   - Salad spinner or air dry Basil

2. Toast pine nuts over medium heat on stove top, let cool (perfect job for a careful helper age 6 and up, varies depending on maturity level and availability of a observation tower)

3. Wash and spin the Basil leaves (perfect job for a toddler to press the salad spinner button!)

4. Place leaves, garlic, salt, pepper, cheese, and nuts into processor bowl, pulse a few times. Then leave one and add the 1 cup oil in a steady stream.

5. Enjoy over pasta, on crepes, or sandwiches. This recipe typically yields enough for a meal for us with at least one 8oz mason jar for the freezer. When storing in mason jars , be sure to add a drizzle of olive oil on top.