Basic Pesto

This recipe comes to us courtesy of my brother, Keith.

Puree the following ingredients in the food processor in the order listed.

1/4 cup pine nuts
2 cups fresh basil leaves (or parsley if you don't have basil, but good too)
Add 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil at the same time and water, if necessary, to make a thick paste.
garlic to taste (3-4 good-sized cloves)
2 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice (If lemons aren't on hand, you can use ascorbic acid crystals and water.  This keeps the pesto from going brown due to oxidization and improves flavour)
1 tsp each of dried basil and tarragon, if using parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste (suggested 2 tbsp) or a substitute such as nutritional yeast.

Great with pasta.  The leftovers can be frozen but be sure you add enough lemon juice to keep it from going brown.

Enjoy!