The Best Pesto

"Using a mortar and pestle results in the best pesto. [Photographs: Vicky Wasik] This pesto sauce, through rounds and rounds of testing, has been honed to the perfect ratio, ingredients, and method. And while a mortar and pestle is a bit of work, the superior sauce it produces compared to a food processor can't be argued. This is the true, best pesto. Still, if you want to use a food processor, you will end up with a very good pesto using this ratio of ingredients (just pulse the garlic, salt, and pine nuts together first, then add the cheese and follow with the basil; stir in the oil). Why this recipe works: * Using a mortar and pestle creates a luxurious sauce with a rich, deep flavor and beautiful, silky texture that is superior to what a food processor will create. * Pecorino Fiore Sardo is a slightly milder sheeps milk cheese, and creates a more balanced, less harsh pesto sauce. * Mild olive oil creates a more balanced, less aggressively spicy sauce. Note: If you can't find Pecorino Fiore Sardo, you can use Pecorino Romano instead, but increase the Parmigiano-Reggiano to a full 3 tablespoons and cut the Pecorino to 2 tablespoons in that case. To serve this pesto on pasta, too the sauce with the drained noodles off the heat, adding a little reserved pasta-cooking water to help bind it all together. Adding pieces of cooked new potato and green beans to the pasta is a traditional Ligurian touch...."