Pesto Delle Streghe

Ingredients:

• ½ cup pine nuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
• ¼ cup butter (room temperature, optional)
• 3 large cloves garlic (peeled)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup olive oil (¾ cup if not using butter)
• 1 pinch cayenne
• 2 pinches fresh marjoram (or 1 pinch dried)
• 1 overflowing cup fresh basil leaves (washed, stripped from stems and firmly packed)
• Hot rotini pasta

Directions

Lightly dry-roast the nuts in a frying pan until golden. Chop lightly.

In a bowl, hand mix nuts, cheese, and butter.

In a blander or food processor, place garlic, salt, cayenne, marjoram, and blend thoroughly. Introduce the basil a bit at a time, and blend to a smooth, green aromatic paste. Pour this into the bowl and mix well with the nut-cheese-butter mixture.

Toss with hot rotini pasta.