Spaghettoni al pesto from Barefoot Contessa Parties!

This is a wonderful, fragrant, flavorful pesto that would be equally great on fish or poultry as pasta. This recipe makes ~2 cups of pesto which is enough for at least 5 or 6 pasta dinners. Freeze in individual ice cube trays so you can pop out just the quantity you need down the road.

Recipe calls for spaghettoni but plain spaghetti or linguine work just fine (note: photo shows whole wheat linguine).

Good olive oil
Kosher salt
1 pound spaghettoni, bucatini, or spaghetti
1 to 1 1/2 cups pesto (recipe follows)
Splash some oil in a large pot of salted boiling water and add pasta. Cook the spaghettoni for 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente but cooked through. Drain the pasta in a colander and toss it in a large bowl with enough pesto to coat each strand. Taste for seasoning and serve hot or at room temperature.

Pesto
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignolis
3 tablespoons diced garlic (9 cloves) (note: watch the measurements if you don't want a very garlicy pesto -- 9 large cloves will create an intense pesto)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely puréed. Add the Parmesan and purée for a minute. Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.