Recipe: Besto-Pesto!

Years ago (could be decades ago!) I ordered pasta with pesto...I was so turned off by the bitter taste I never ordered it again. In fact, I shied away from anything "pesto". Then a neighbor of mine offered some of her mom's home-made pesto; it was incredible! I savored the flavor and "disected" the recipe. When I finally got it down, I had friends over for dinner and surprised them with the pesto...uh-oh, my friend doesn't like pesto! Then she tried mine and, lo and behold, she said it was the "besto-pesto" she ever had. And that is how it got it's name....here's my version of pesto:

Light toast pine nuts

 1-2 bunches of fresh basil, chopped very finely
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup of pine nuts - lightly toasted in a dry fry pan
2 rounded Tablespoons of grated parmesean cheese

Finely chopped Basil & Garlic

Chop the Basil

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil (plus more as needed)
2 Tablespoons of butter, very soft

Emulsify Pine Nuts & Oil

Add the soft Butter & Cheese

Lightly toast the pine nuts until golden brown. Set aside to cool. MUST BE COOLED
Finely chop the basil and add the minced garlic and toss into a saucepan or bowl (no heat!)

Take the toasted (and cooled) pine nuts and grind them. Today I used an emulsifier: pine nuts and the olive oil are blended to make almost a paste. In the past, I've put the pine nuts in a plastic baggie and used a roll pin to grind them. The pine nuts have to be almost a coarse flour. If using the rolling pin method, grind the nuts up dry and then add the oil to the pan or bowl.
Add the ground pine nuts to the basil/garlic/cheese and give it all a good stir; there may be some coarse bits and that is OK.

Add extra Olive Oil as needed (I added some)

Add the butter to the ingredients a gentle blend and set it all aside. Get your water boiling for the pasta; add your pasta to the boiling water and cook until done. (Today we used ravioli stuffed with cheese and truffle - because that is what we had in the freezer!)
As your pasta cooks, give your besto-pesto a stir to thoroughly blend in the butter. If not loose enough, add a little extra olive oil.
When pasta is done, drain and toss back into the pot, add the pesto, blend very gently and serve! This pesto has more of a nutty flavor that is a nice complement to the strong basil flavor. As with any cooking, give it a taste beforehand....just to be sure! Buon Appetito!

Toss and Serve