PASTA WITH BASIL PESTO

Well our cool weather is officially here.  Last night I made Beef Stew for Nick and I. (my grandson)  Had some hot crusty sourdough bread and a salad.  Yummy.  Nick said, "Nonni this is perfect for the cool weather".  And he was right.  What you make for dinner seems to be dictated a lot by what the weather is outside.  Today I have an easy but hearty Pasta dish for you to try.  I''m sure you all have made it at sometime or another with Pesto from the market.  But try making your own tonight.  It is so much fresher tasting and so easy to make.  Not to mention the wonderful aroma of the fresh Basil and Cheese. Yum!

PASTA WITH BASIL PESTO
Serves 4

3 cups packed fresh Basil
1/2 cup Pine Nuts
2/3 cups Grated Romano cheese or Parmesan
3 to 4 cloves of chopped garlic
about 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 lb Barilla Thick Spaghetti
3 or 4 seeded and chopped Roma Tomatoes

Put the Basil, Pine Nuts, Garlic, and Cheese in a blender or Cuisinart.  Begin blending and slowly add the Olive Oil until it is smooth but not runny.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside and cook the Pasta just till al dente.  While the Pasta cooks, seed the tomatoes and chop.  Remove Pasta and drain, quickly add the Pesto.  Toss well.  Top each plate of Pasta with some chopped tomatoes, a few pine nuts and a sprinkle of Romano cheese.  Add a salad, hot crusty bread, a glass of wine and Mangia!  It dosesn't get much better than that!

Thanks for stopping in today.
Ciao for now
Grayce