Excerpted from Herbs & Spices, a Cook’s Reference by Jill Norman. © 2002, used by permission from DK Publishing, Inc., New York, NY. All rights reserved.

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Pesto

This Genoese sauce for pasta also goes well with vegetables and as a dip or a spread for bruschetta; a thin version makes a good sauce for fish.

4 handfuls of fresh basil leaves
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1/4 cup (30g) pine nuts
1/4 cup (30g) grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese
5-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Put all the ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor and blend. Scrape down the sides and add the oil slowly through the feed tube until you have a thick, green sauce. For a thinner sauce, add more olive oil. If you don’t have a processor, put the basil and garlic in a large mortar and pound with a pestle. Add the pine nuts, a few at a time, then the cheese and oil alternately until you have a thick paste. Add more oil to obtain the consistency you want.

Variations:

Cilantro Pesto
Use cilantro instead of fresh basil and walnuts in place of pine nuts.

Parsley Pesto
Replace the basil with parsley and use either pine nuts or blanched almonds.

Arugula Pesto
Replace the basil with arugula and use walnuts or pine nuts.