Pesto Genovese

     One of my colleagues from work gave me this recipe several years ago, and my family immediately fell in love with it. Pesto recipes typically call for pine nuts but this one uses pistachios, which I actually prefer. Our garden yielded an abundant amount of basil this year, so it seemed like the perfect thing to make. The basil was so fragrant that Dave was cutting the lawn and actually smelled it as he rode past the garden on his mower when I was picking it. The recipe is quick and easy to make, does not require a large amount of ingredients, and your kitchen will smell amazing as you are preparing it.
                                                                    
 Pesto Genovese

Ingredients

1 cup of loosely packed basil
1/3 cup of pistachio nuts
2 cloves of garlic
3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of olive oil

Place basil, nuts and garlic in a food processor and process until well blended. Add the cheese and process the mixture again. Gradually add the olive oil and process until you are pleased with the consistency. Store in the refrigerator but have at room temperature to use.

This can be used as a sauce for pasta (just mix into warm pasta, do not warm the pesto itself), or as a spread on sandwiches. It can also be thinned with more oil and used as a salad dressing. It is not a recipe that can be preserved by canning, but you can make sure you have enough to last throughout the winter by freezing it.

Enjoy!