Homemade Pesto

This post may get a little long and I honestly don't even know where to start it. My love for pesto did not start until we traveled to Italy, a year and a half ago, and now I am spoiled. I will only make my pesto homemade and I will only use this recipe. This recipe is so dear to my heart, it is in a little paper book, given to me by a chef, which taught our cooking class in Positano, on the Amalfi Coast.

The experience itself was amazing. It was in a little restaurant right on the ocean. It was a small class of only ten people. We were there in May, it was hot, we felt like there was no air conditioning, I am still not sure if there was, but the prosecco was freely flowing. We made an excellent three course meal, that took about 3-4 hours to prepare. Ethan and I prepared this meal for our families as soon as we got home and it took us closer to 8 hours to prepare alone. It was a meal of homemade wheat scialatielli with pesto, gnocchi "Sorrentina style", and "Eggplants Parmigiana." We also snacked on the homemade pesto on some fabulous bread and did lots of tasting while cooking. It was the best experience. The chefs were joking with us, one even claimed he knew who did the cooking at home, Ethan, because he could roll out the pasta dough thinner than I could.

Every time I get out this cookbook to make the homemade pesto, I reminisce and go back. The recipe is written in grams and I have to convert it every time, I keep saying I am going to write the measurements in there, but I can't bring myself to it. This is the best homemade pesto, in my opinion. I know I will never try another recipe. To get a full mason jar of pesto, double the recipe. I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do. At the end of the post, I will include some pictures from our cooking class!
Source: Cookbook from Ristorante Buca di Bacco in Positano

Ingredients:
30-40 Basil Leaves
1 clove of Garlic, 1 clove of Garlic for every 30 Basil Leaves
2 tablespoons of Pine Nuts, just a bit more than 1 oz.
2 tablespoons + a teaspoon of Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated, 1.5 oz.
2 tablespoons of Pecorino Cheese, just a bit more than 1 oz.
2/3 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of Salt

Directions:
First, wash the basil leaves carefully, lay the leaves on paper towels to dry naturally.

While they are drying, chop the garlic in to a few pieces and grate your cheese.

In a food processor, first add the pine nuts, pulse until they are finely chopped. Add the basil and garlic, pulse just a few times. If you over process it will alter the color and fragrance of the basil. Pour in the olive oil while the food processor is on and the salt. Add the cheese last and blend for a few seconds.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,
The Barbee Housewife