Some Additional Pesto Information and Variations

First I wanted to add that if you are just making a pesto and tossing it with pasta - I wanted to add the following addendum to the Pesto Recipe in the previous post: 

Stir 2 Tbsp of the boiling pasta cooking water and 1 Tbsp of butter into the pesto to loosen it and then toss with the drained pasta.

I also often will make the pesto and mix with pasta and then slice some tomatoes and onions and pile on top of the pesto in the serving bowl and then I always shave or grate more Parmesan on top.  The picture below was earlier last week and I used Rigatoni Pasta as opposed to the classic Angel Hair or Spaghetti. 

One last thing I would like to add is that sometimes if you don't have quite enough Basil Leaves on hand - you can use other leaves to make up the difference.  Three that work very well are Watercress, Arugula and Baby Spinach.  I also don't always have Pine Nuts on hand - I have found that Cashews (not salted) work very well and change the flavor slightly - but still very delicious.

To me, Home-made Pesto is always better than store bought.  Unless a deli makes it - I just don't like buying things that are made to sit on a shelf for a long-time...if I can make them quickly at home...But that's just me!