Spaghetti with basil pesto

I had a fun day learning all about Adobe Lightroom.


For dinner I was craving something with pesto.

Spaghetti with basil pesto.

 I made a basic pesto:

Garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, fresh basil and olive oil.

I don't just like basil pesto - I LOVE basil pesto. I could easily go overboard with this stuff. But I have learned a trick that allows me to put a heavy dose on my pasta without an enormous amount of oil.

Instead of 2 Tbsp. of olive oil that would be needed to emulsify the pesto - I add in 1 Tbsp. or so of the pasta water. That way I get to enjoy the entire batch of pesto without over doing it on fat.

Not that there is anything wrong with having the occasional rich dish - I just have to be careful about how much I have at once or otherwise I will be nursing a stomach ache all night.

I also included a side dish of broccoli and a dessert of fresh berries.

The broccoli was very, very green.

Oh, and you should get a look at what the pesto looks like after mixing.

Basil Pesto

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp. of pine nuts
a pinch of salt
1/2 a cup of parmesan
1 Tbsp. of olive oil
1 bunch of fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp. of pasta water


Instructions:
 
Rough chop the basil and add in the chopped garlic, pine nuts, salt, most of the Parmesan (reserve some for garnish) and olive oil in a food processor or in a large deep cup with an immersion blender. Pulse to blend - when the mixture is halfway pureed - add in 1 Tbsp of the pasta water. Feel free to add more if the mixture is not loose enough to blend well.

Another important step is add the cooked and drained pasta back into the pot on low flame. Fold in the desired amount of pesto and let the pasta warm through. This step allows any excess moisture to evaporate and allows the pesto to get a good grip on the pasta.

Enjoy!