Linguine with Pesto

Toast the pinenuts over high heat in a dry skillet. Keep the pan and the pinenuts moving so they don’t burn. This should take a minute or two.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle a little olive oil on the unpeeled garlic cloves and roast until soft, about five minutes. This gives the garlic a sweeter, less biting taste.

Peel the garlic and add to a food processor or blender along with the toasted pinenuts and a little of the olive oil. Process briefly to a coarse texture.

Add a third of the basil leaves and a third of the olive oil and process on a slow setting. Continue this until all the basil and olive oil has been added. Add sea salt and pepper.

If you’re serving the pesto soon, add the cheese and the optional ripe tomato.

Bring six quarts of water to a rolling boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the linguine, cook for about 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain and toss the cooked linguine with a little of the pesto. Divide onto plates and add the rest of the pesto on top. You can add more grated cheese as desired.