Pesto Pasta and Tomato Salad

2 parts basil leaves to 1 part Italian parsley (I don’t bother carefully picking the leaves from the stems of the parsley.  My husband’s grandfather, who owned an Italian restaurant in Philly, told me once that the stems have the most flavor.) for a total of about 2 cups, loosely packed
1 – 2 cloves of garlic peeled
3 Tbsp pine nuts
1/3 a cup or so of grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil

I make my pesto in a food processor.  If you use a blender be sure to put the oil in first followed by everything else.
Put all the ingredients except the oil in the bowl of a food processor.  Process for a few seconds then add the oil through the food tube and continue to process until all the oil is incorporated.  That’s it; super easy!  We like to serve ours on linguine, but any pasta shape works.  Scoop out a cup of the pasta water just before draining.  If the pasta seems too dry, add some of the water to the pasta when tossing with the pesto.  Serve with additional grated Parmesan.

Various versions of tomato salad are a go-to in our house.  Because the last of the dry farmed early girl tomatoes are so good right now, we didn’t need to do much to the tomatoes.  Quarter the small tomatoes, add fresh basil, sliced white onion, a little garlic chopped fine, plenty of coarse salt and good olive oil.  If the tomatoes are not acidic enough, you can add a splash of red wine vinegar.