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Summer is finally here and with it comes a set of new ingredients, flavors, smells and tastes.
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Personally, I think summer rocks, for a few reasons: watermelon, apricots and fresh, delicious basilhence homemade pesto.
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Every chance I get, I make pesto and one of the easiest and tastier summer pastas is with fresh pesto, juicy Roma tomatoes and ciliegine (tiny mozzarella bites).
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To make the pesto, after washing the basil, pluck the leaves and put them in the food processor (the smallest leaves are the juiciest).
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Add the extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper.
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Grind the mixture and taste it.
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I like my pesto to be garlicky, so I usually add 3 or more cloves.
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For a tart flavor, add more parmesan cheese than you normally would.
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It adds a tanginess that marries perfectly with the sweetness of the basil.
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Next up: pasta, tomatoes and mozzarella.
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Fill a pot with water, put it on the stove at high heat and bring it to a boil.
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In the meantime, wash and halve the Roma tomatoes.
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These have much better flavor than the bigger, salad tomatoes.
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Big flavors, apparently, come in small packages.
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The ciliegine, small bites of mozzarella, go through the same process.
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Once the water is boiling, add the pasta.
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I prefer to use penne, a short and sturdy shape.
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It holds strong flavors very well.
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Cook the pasta for 10 minutes, drain it and put it back into the pot it cooked in.
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Add the pesto and the other ingredients and stir it until the mozzarella is melted.
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Serve it right off the stove or cold.
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Its that simple.
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Enjoy!
