#Over the past 20 years, this thick, aromatic herb and nut sauce from Genoa has travelled widely and is now used by cooks throughout the world to serve with pasta or grilled fish, or to be stirred into soup.# Put the basil, garlic, pine nuts and salt in a mortar (or food processor) and pound with a pestle to form a fairly smooth paste.

Add the oil slowly until you reach a texture that is soft but not runny. Add the Parmesan and pepper to taste. Cover the surface with a little more oil. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Tip If you make this sauce in a food processor, do not over-process, otherwise the sauce will be too smooth. MAKES APPROXIMATELY 150 ML #Variation# A basic pesto recipe calls for fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, oil, and cheese. Pesto recipes can be used in a variety of ways. Pesto can be thinned with additional oil and cream to be used as a sauce for pasta. It can be mixed into risotto in any chosen consistency. It can be used as a dip by adding cream or cream cheese. And as in the recipe in this book, a dollop of pesto spooned into a bowl of soup can develop additional flavor. Substituting fresh mint, parsley, coriander or spinach in place of basil leaves can create other tasty pesto variations. Walnuts can be substituted for pine nuts. Sun-dried tomato pesto is also worth a try. Coriander pesto accompanies Asian dishes excellently. Pesto of any flavor is sensational served on bruchetta with shavings of Parmesan cheese.