”A pesto is simply an uncooked or lightly cooked sauce that has been blended to a paste, traditionally made with a mortar and pestle,`writes Edward Giobbi in `Pleasures of the Good Earth.`
Now, he writes, you can make pestos with a food processor, and with fresh herbs, you can produce a sauce in minutes to dress a pasta or enhance other dishes.
Here is a recipe adapted from his book.
MINT PESTO
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: About 2 cups
12 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
3 cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves, preferably spearmint
1/3 cup pine nuts
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until just pureed; be careful not to overprocess. If you are using pesto as a sauce for pasta, thin it to the consistency of thin cream with a little of the pasta cooking water.
2. To store, put the pesto in a jar, pour about 1/2 inch olive oil on top, cover tightly and refrigerate. It will keep for up to 6 months.
