Fettucine al pesto genovese

Pesto Italian cuisine

I know, I know. You might be thinking, "Pesto? Boring." But I'd argue that it's not a proper basil week without it. And this isn't your ordinary run of the mill pesto, either. This just might be the best pesto recipe ever created. Well, the best pesto this side of the Atlantic, that is. I'm not usually one to follow a recipe precisely. Half a cup of cheese? A teaspoon of salt? Sprinkle, sprinkle, dash, dash... meh, that looks about right. But even I followed this one to a T. I commend Saveur on getting this one right. So right that it's worth getting out that tablespoon to measure out the precise amount of grated Pecorino. Worth spending $6.99 on an itty bitty bag of good pine nuts (because sub-par pine nuts are just, ew). Worth what may seem like a silly step of blanching the basil, because that supposedly mellows the flavor to something akin to the juvenile sprigs they use in Italy. It's all worth it, I promise. Once you've tasted the good stuff, pesto the way it was meant to be