Herbed Pesto

I have been a traditional pesto fan for years, faithfully following Marcella Hazan's recipe for "Genoese Basil Sauce for Pasta and Soup" since I first acquired her "Classic Italian Cookbook" over 20 years ago. Hazan's is a classic recipe, remarkable for its simplicity of ingredients and preparation, yielding a perfectly sublime mix of basil, garlic, olive oil, butter and pine nuts that clings delicately to whatever pasta you choose.

But like any chef-wannabe, I've taken this classic and adapted it to my tastes and surroundings. Here's why: I grow herbs by the potful on my deck, and one day after committing to Hazan's recipe, I found myself short of necessary basil ... but long on other herbs such as parsley, sage, thyme and oregano. (And for the Paul Simon fans out there, I had plenty of rosemary as well, but decided it's too sharp an herb to include in a sauce such as this!) This Herbed Pesto is the result of my experimentation, and has worked so well that it's now a family staple. Feel free to mix in whatever fresh herbs you have at hand; I use a 2:1 basil to herbs-at-hand ratio that still maintains a necessary basil note, but allows the other herbs to come through as well. Keep in mind the taste of the herbs you're using--you don't want to overpower the basil as much as you do complement it.

NOTE: After cooking the pasta, and before draining, be sure to reserve about one-third to one-half cup of the water used to boil the noodles. You will use this to thin out the pesto to your taste; it also melds the flavors together.

Herbed Pesto

Servings: 4 as a main course; 6-8 as a side dish

Ingredients:

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup loosely packed, mixed fresh herb leaves of your choice (I mostly use a mix, in order of volume, of parsley, sage, oregano and thyme)
1-2 garlic cloves (to taste); roughly chopped
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tsp kosher or sea salt
generous 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for table
2 Tbsp butter
1/3-1/2 cup of water used to boil pasta

Directions:

Cook pasta; reserve 1/3-1/2 cup of water before draining. Toss lightly with butter or olive oil to prevent sticking and reserve.

Place herbs, garlic, salt and toasted pine nuts into large food processor bowl; drizzle olive oil into mixture while pulsing/processing until smooth but not pureed. Remove to medium-sized bowl and use spatula to mix in butter, cheese and pasta water until blended (I like a fairly thick sauce; thin to your taste.)

Toss with pasta and serve with more grated cheese to top.

OPTIONAL ADD-INS:

If you're serving as a main course and want some protein, top with grilled, sauteed or steamed (w/o the Old Bay please!) shrimp, tuna, swordfish or other fish of your choice. Fresh tomatoes can also be added to add color and a great tart touch.