On the Table: Basil Walnut Pesto

Nothing screams summer to me quite like pesto.  Considering that the weather is becoming increasinly fall-ish, I figured I should load up on summer food while I can, so I picked up a bunch of basil at the farmers' market this week.  There is barely any "cooking" involved, since you only need to turn on the stove to cook the pasta.  Plus, it's really fast!  It is ready in just the amount of time it takes to cook the pasta.  Summer-ific, I'd say!  To prepare:

Prepare half a pound of pasta according to package directions (I used penne).

Wash a bunch of basil and remove the paper from three cloves of garlic (or fewer, if you don't love garlic quite as much as I do!). 

With the motor running, grind up the garlic and a handful of nuts (I used walnuts, but pine nuts are the traditional choice - you can also skip the nuts).

Remove the basil leaves from the stems and put them into the food processor (throw away any leaves that don't look good).  Also add in just a pinch of salt (the parmesan cheese, to be added later, will add salt as well).

Put on the lid and start the food processor.  With the motor running, add olive oil through the feed tube until the pesto reaches the resired consistency.

Add in a handful (or two!) of grated parmesan cheese and give the pesto a final, quick buzz.

Taste the pesto and adjust the seasoning.

Serve over pasta, topped with more parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!