Pesto, excerpt form Dorm Room Essentials Cookbook, by Gina Meyers

Basil Pesto

1 cup of olive oil

1 head of garlic, cloves, peeled

2 cups of fresh basil leaves, divided

1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, leaves, divided.

½ cup of pine nuts

½ teaspoon of salt

1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup of grated Romano cheese

Directions: in a blender, combine half of the ingredients, basil, parsley, pine nuts, salt, garlic and oil. Pulse about 20 times, or until coarsely chopped. Scrape the sides of the food processor. Process for about an additional 2 minutes and add additional oil, if needed. At this point, you may pulse until a paste forms. Transfer to a mixing bowl and repeat the process with the other half of the ingredients, minus the cheeses. Once completed into a paste form, mix the cheeses in the mixing bowl with the paste. You may toast the pine nuts for a few minutes in a skillet over low heat. Another option would be to add a ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese and pecan or walnuts instead of pine nuts. Pesto keeps very well in a Tupperware sealed with lid on in the freezer of your dorm room fridge.