PESTO 1 cup fresh basil 1 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup parsley sprigs 1/3 cup Percorino or Romano cheese 1/2 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds 8 tblsp o live oil 8 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed 4 tblsp butter, softened, optional salt to taste pepper to taste Put all the ingredients into the container of a blender or food processor and blend until they form a smooth paste. Put the paste in a jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator. It will keep about a week. Most pesto recipes ask for pine nuts. I have used almonds all my life. They keep a much better consistency in the pesto and stay crunchy for a long time. Even if you freeze this, when you defrost it, you will still have the chunks of nuts in the pesto. It is also very nice if you substitute cilantro for the basil. Sometimes I use walnuts instead of almonds, which will add a little more nut flavor and a touch of bitterness to the pesto. Try it-you may like it! LOW FAT OPTION For a light version of pesto sauce, use 1 cup of degreased chicken stock in place of the olive oil and butter.	CILANTRO PESTO 2 cups cilantro leaves 1 cup parsley 1 cup olive oil 1/2 cup almonds or walnuts 1/2 cup Parmesan salt and pepper to taste Prepare as demonstrated.
CARBONERA 2 cups alfredo sauce 1/2 cup pancetta or other bacon fried crisp 1 cup peas, fresh or frozen fresh parsley, chopped 2 egg yolks salt and pepper to taste Combine all ingredients. You can temper the yolks, so the yolks will not curdle, by putting a little of the warm alfredo sauce into the yolks and then adding to the rest of the ingredients. Serve with your favorite pasta.	ALFREDO SAUCE 3 cups heavy cream nutmeg to taste 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese salt to taste pepper to taste 1-2 tblsp Locatelli or Blue Cheese This is an original recipe and is very rich, but you only need a little sauce for each serving. Reduce cream over a low heat by 1/3 of the volume. Add the spices and the cheese. The little bit of Blue Cheese will add a nice bite to this recipe. I have been doing it for years, but I never told anyone. Now you can do the same.
FRESH TOMATOES WITH BASIL 4 cups tomatoes concasse 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tblsp chopped garlic 1 cup purple basil or green salt to taste pepper to taste 1/4 cup white wine Prepare as demonstrated.