2009/06/17

Basil and Almond Pesto with Pecorino Toscano

Pecorino Toscano is a semi-hard cheese that evokes the terroir of Tuscany. It's a little barnyard meets meadow with a bite. This was a wonderful variation on your basic pesto.

From gastronomic guesswork

The preparation involved combining 1 handful raw almonds, 1 handful Italian parsley, 1 handful fresh basil, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1 cup of grated Pecorino Toscano in a food processor. Olive oil was added along with a dash of white wine vinegar and a couple turns of freshly ground black pepper. The sauce was blitzed and mounted with olive oil until creamy in texture. This was tossed with fresh egg linquine while still hot, and served warm. Molto bene!