I learned to make pesto from the Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan, which of course the library owns. I have discovered that we also own Hazan’s The Classic Italian Cookbook, which was first published in 1973. This book introduced American chefs to Italian food with recipes for such dishes as risotto, polenta, scaloppini and other delicacies. Hazan did for Italian food what Julia Child did for French, and I am thankful, because dining out in American restaurants before 1973 was probably a pretty bland affair. But I digress, and below I will share Hazan’s recipe for pesto, which she lovingly describes as “the most seductive of all sauces for pasta.”

For the processor:

2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons pine nuts

2 garlic cloves, chopped fine before putting in the processor

Salt

For completion by hand:

½ cup freshly grated parmigiano - reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons freshly grated romano cheese

3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature

Put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, chopped garlic and salt in the food processor and process to a creamy consistency. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the grated cheese by hand, then the butter. Serve on top of 1 ½ pounds of pasta.