pesto with roasted garlic & almonds

My fingertips are stained green, & our kitchen smells like a freshly mowed lawn of basil. Is this what World Cup season smells like in Genoa? This rendition of pesto calls for what I had on hand. We ate it over Farfalle with sage sausage & a white wine from Cupcake Vineyards. [Also, the garlic is roasted because my nursing babe gets gassy when I indulge in raw garlic.]  Pesto can be stored refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3-4 months. Makes about 1 cup, or enough for about a pound of dried pasta.

Ingredients

• 5-8 cloves garlic, roasted
• 2 cups packed basil leaves, turns into 3/4 cup when chopped
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano
• salt and pepper -- to taste

Preparation

• Roast garlic cloves in foil on 350 for 10 min (toaster oven does just fine). Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse to break into pieces. With a mortar & pestle, crush garlic & almonds together.
• Add basil to mortar & pestle to crush before combining with garlic/nut mixture. Stir in the parmesan, salt and pepper and adjust ingredients to your taste.
• Pour in the olive oil and crush gently until the mixture comes together and is smooth but still has some texture.
• Add a tablespoon or so of water to lighten up the pesto a bit if you like.