Pesto

Adapted from Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life book

2 cups tightly packed basil leaves, washed and dried well
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbs. pine nuts
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano

Put basil leaves in a heavy duty Ziploc bag. Press all the air from the bag and seal. Put bag on countertop or floor and using rolling pin, pound bag until all leaves are bruised.

Put the pounded basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, salt in a blender and process until you reach a smooth creamy consistency. Stop once or twice to scrape down the blender with a rubber spatula. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the parmigiano-reggiano. Great with long noodles and vegetables and sausage but can also be eaten with toasted bread.