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* Disclaimer- I have been making this for so long, I dont measure my ingredients anymore, however these are my best guesses at the amount I typically use.
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Pesto is such an easy sauce to fix if you add to much or too little of something, so play around!
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Start a pot of water to boil.
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Get out your food processor or blender, I prefer a food processor for making pesto.
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Start by grating the Parmesan cheese in the food processor.
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I usually grate the whole wedge and use the extra for any cheese you like to sprinkle on top of the finished dish.
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Set aside 3/4 of cup for use in the pesto.
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Put in the garlic cloves and chop them up.
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Put in the basil leaves and let them get chopped up.
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Cut up a jalapeno in chunks for easy mixing.
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I left a couple of seeds, but not many because I didnt want it too spicy, you can always add more seeds at the end if you want some more kick.
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Next, put in the cheese and oil at the same time and mix.
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Add in the salt and pepper and give it another quick pulse.
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Your water is probably boiling, toss the pasta in!
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Now comes the taste testing.
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Too much cheese or oil?
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Add some more basil.
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Not enough flavor- try adding more garlic, it can be hard to properly mix at this point so I recommend chopping it a little before putting it in.
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Optional- add in some nuts for a different consistency and flavor.
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I dont tend to keep walnuts of pignoli nuts on hand so I have adapted to pesto sans nuts.
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Once your pasta is cooked to your liking, pour it back in to the pot you boiled it in and pour your pesto over the top.
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Use a spatula to get all the green goodness out of the food processor or blender.
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Toss up vigorously in order to ensure every inch of pasta is covered, your diners will thank you.
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Enjoy!
