Classic Pesto

Directions

1. 1
   Place a few leaves of the basil in the bottom of a mortar and sprinkle the salt over them.
2. 2
   Crush the leaves coarsely with the pestle, add a few more leaves, and continue crushing, adding new leaves each time those in the mortar are crushed, until all the leaves are coarsely ground.
3. 3
   Toss in the garlic and pound until the mixture forms a smooth paste.
4. 4
   Add the pine nuts and grind them to a paste.
5. 5
   Stir in the cheese, then enough of the olive oil to give the pesto a creamy consistency.
6. 6
   Combine the basil, salt, and garlic in the work bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the oil, and blend at low speed, stopping frequently to press the basil down around the blades, until the basil forms a coarse paste.
7. 7
   Toss in the pine nuts and pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
8. 8
   Blend until the pine nuts are ground fine.
9. 9
   Stir in the grated cheeses and enough additional olive oil to form a creamy paste.
10. 10
    To toast pine nuts, spread them out on a baking sheet and bake in a 325 F oven, shaking the pan once or twice as they bake, until lightly and evenly browned, about 6 minutes.
11. 11
    Or toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan continuously, until they turn golden brown, about 6 minutes.
12. 12
    Cook 8 ounces long (spaghetti or linguine, for example) dried pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until done.
13. 13
    Ladle out and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta-cooking liquid.
14. 14
    Drain the pasta and return it to the pot off the heat.
15. 15
    Add about 6 tablespoons of the pesto and enough pasta-cooking water to make the pesto fluid enough to coat the pasta lightly.
16. 16
    Stir in grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste, if you like, and check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if you like.