cimorene

i was hunting through the closet for the dog toenail clippers, and besides breaking one of wax's favourite flowerpots, i found the church cookbook from 2004. i look at many of these recipes that i grew up with and i can't believe how much work my mother puts into cooking things! for example, my pesto and pasta takes like one minute to make if you don't count the time the pasta is cooking unattended. my mother's famous never-any-leftovers-at-any-potluck-or-party pesto and pasta, not so much.

this recipe is a total classic, and i'm pretty sure it's my mom's most-requested recipe, both from family and houseguests who want her to make it and from other chefs who want it written out. (i grew up in an extremely potucky culture.)

pesto sauce

2 tightly-packed cups fresh basil

½ cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic

3 T pine nuts

salt to taste

½ cup freshly-grated parmesan

2 T freshly grated romano cheese

2 T softened butter

put basil, oil, garlic, pine nuts, and salt in a blender or food processor; blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. add cheeses and butter, and blend into smooth paste. makes approximately enough for 1 pound of pasta. a handful of fresh parsley cna be added as desired; other nuts (pecan, walnut) can be substituted for pine nuts, but the taste will be altered.

penne with broccoli and pesto

1 bunch fresh broccoli, trimmed and separated into bite-sized pieces (cauliflower can be substituted, but it's not as pretty)

1 pound penne

5 T olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves, lightly smashed

1/4-1/3 cup pesto sauce, without cheese

fresh-ground pepper and salt to taste

blanch the broccoli for 4 minutes; drain. reserve cooking water. pour the broccoli water into the pot in which you will cook the pasta; add more water if needed. bring to a boil. add pasta and cook till al dente.

while the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet. add garlic and, as soon as it starts to fry, add the broccoli and sauté briefly until tender and heated through. do not overcook.

drain the pasta and reserve 1 cup of cooking water. add the pasta to the skillet with thebroccoli and cook for 5-6 minutes over low heat, tossing gently. put in a warmed bowl. add ½ the reserved pasta water to the pesto sauce, stir to blend, and add to the broccoli-pasta mixture. toss. if the pasta seems too dry, cautiously add a little more water. season with fresh black pepper and salt and toss again.

serves 4-5 but vanishes very quickly. cherry tomatoes or sliced ripe tomatoes make a nice garnish when served at room temperature. serve with grated parmesan only if served warm.

a note: this recipe is in US measures. one cup is 2,4 decilitres metric. it is not, apparently, the same as an australian cup (which caused me quite a few headaches a couple of summers ago when i first met the bewitching