Pesto Penne

It's been a busy week at work and the weather tonight is crummy. I should have been at the grocery store right after work, but oh, I just couldn't bring myself to do it- too tired! So once I arrive home, what's a "chef" to do when the pantry is getting bare and the will to cook is lacking? Well, I made do with the good stuff I had- namely the staples of pasta, garlic, olive oil and then add in the fresh basil I bought at the store and we successfully planted!

Aside from the insane amount of delicious garlic, the best part of this recipe is that is it insanely quick! I put the water on and in the time it took to get it boiling and cook the pasta, I picked the basil, washed it, and leisurely made the pesto. Throw a little Parmesan on that bad boy and it's a gourmet delight for a lazy gourmand!


Pesto Penne

• 1 16 oz. Box Penne (or any small pasta)
  
• 1 to 1 1/2 C. Fresh Basil
  
• 1 Large Clove of Garlic
  
• 1/3 to 1/2 C. Olive Oil
  
• 1/3 C. Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
  
• 1 Tbls. Butter

1. Get a pot of water boiling. When the time comes, put the pasta in and cook it.
   
2. While things get going with the pasta, wash the basil and dry it. (A salad spinner is great for this if you have it. I love my salad spinner.)
   
3. Peel the garlic clove. I give it a good whack (with a metal tenderizer, side of a chefs knife, wooden spoon)to both remove the peel and to break it into multiple pieces.
   
4. Put the basil, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor. Pulse the ingredients to get a smooth, well chopped mixture. The key it to make sure the garlic is well broken up- no one wants giant chunks of raw garlic!
   
5. Add the pat of butter and then drizzle around 2 Tbsp. of the boiling pasta water over it to melt it a little. Pulse the pesto to break up the butter.
   
6. In a small to medium bowl, stir together the pesto mixture and the grated Parmesan cheese.
   
7. When the pasta is ready (al dente), drain it, put it back in the pot, and pour in the pesto. Mix it up and serve hot.

Now technically, pesto is supposed to have pine nuts, but I never have that on hand. Nor do I have romano cheese to add in. But I promise, this is still yummy- and garlicky!