Pesto Change-o!

Nothing new about pesto. But it became a classic because it's so darn good. Garlic, basil and cheese? What's not to like? I paired it with the tubular pasta because the shape makes me think of grade school craft projects where we painted them and made necklaces our mom's were obliged to wear. I'm sure other, less fun pastas would also work, but why not use one that makes you smile.

Ageless Pesto

Makes about 4 cups (admittedly way too much). Freeze leftover pesto in ice cube trays for easy use in the future.

11 ounces Parmesan cheese

1 cup raw almonds

1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves

2 large cloves garlic

1 1/2 - 2 cups olive oil, depending on how thin you want your pesto

1 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

I don't usually advise dealing with ingredients independently before throwing into Thor. But in this case you will be processing quite a few hard foods and it is best to do them separately before combining.

Chop the Parmesan cheese into chunks. Put in container of Vita-Mix. Variable on #1, increase to #10. Grind until uniform and the size of smallish pebbles.

Empty cheese into a bowl.

Place the almonds in the container. Variable on #1, increase to #10. Stop when still fairly coarse. You do not want almond flour.

Return the cheese to the container and add the other ingredients. Variable #1, to #5. Pulse if necessary to dislodge the mixture from the sides. Use tamper to blend thoroughly. The final mixture will be thick and fairly solid. If you prefer a smoother pesto, just add more olive oil.