Linguine with Basil Pesto

I thought about why I like linguine better than spaghetti - as you may know, it is just the shape which makes a pasta different from other pastas. I am guessing the flat shape of linguine helps the sauce cling more easily on the surface of the pasta than the round shape of spaghetti, and gives the dish more flavor.

I hope you enjoy today's speedy & simple yet flavorful & pretty linguine dish as much as I do.


Linguine with Basil Pesto

(Yield: 4 servings / Cooking time: 30 minutes)

Ingredients:
+ linguine (for 4 servings)
+ a small bunch of basil
+ 1/4 cup pine nuts
+ 65g parmesan
+ good quality extra virgin olive oil
+ one large clove of garlic
+ little bit of lemon juice
+ salt and pepper



Procedures:
1. First, start boiling a big pot of water.

2. Toast pine nuts over low-medium heat until they have a bit of color.


3. Roughly chop parmesan into small pieces, and pour them with the toasted pine nuts, and a clove of garlic (peeled) into the food processor. Run the food processor until all the ingredients are in very small pieces.


4. Roughly chop basil and add to the food processor. When you run the food processor this time, drizzle a good quality extra virgin olive oil until the pesto reaches the consistency you want. Add little bit of lemon juice to give a zing! Season with salt and pepper - be careful with salt. Parmesan is a very salty cheese.


5. Your basil pesto is ready!


6. By now, the water should be boiling vigorously. Add enough salt in the water and cook linguine as instructed on the box - usually, the manufacturer notes how many minutes you need to cook the pasta on the box. When the linguine is cooked, drain the water and mix with pesto while the linguine is warm. Garnish with a basil leaf or basil flower.

Enjoy~