Fresh Pesto With Toasted Pine Nuts

Step 1

Begin by toasting the pine nuts. Place them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to turn brown; about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove them from the pan immediately or they will start to burn. Pour the pine nuts into a bowl to cool completely before making the pesto. This should take about 10 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, In a food processor, combine half the basil leaves, cooled pine nuts, and garlic. Pulse a couple of times. The process until everything is finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the other half of the basil leaves and the cheeses. Process again until everything is uniform. Scrape down the sides as necessary.

Step 3

With the motor running, stream in the extra-virgin olive oil. Blend them until it forms a paste. Scrape down the sides and pulse a few more times. Blend until the olive oil emulsifies into the basil and the pesto is smooth. Use more or less depending on what texture you want (see notes).

Step 4

Give the pesto a taste, then season with salt and pepper, to taste. Be careful! The cheeses used are salty so use the salt sparingly, tasting between each addition. Give the pesto a quick pulse after adding salt and pepper to blend it into the pesto.