The word pesto is actually Italian for pound. Because waaay back in the day pesto was made by hand....using pestle and mortar - yikes. I've heard (and fully believe) that the pesto always tastes better that way but listen, you cant beat pesto in 3 minutes using a food processor/blender. My recipe varies a little from the traditional. I use walnuts instead of pine nuts and pecorino cheese instead of parmigiano. Feel free to make any substitutions yourself, I find it always comes out pretty delicious.
Add the basil, walnuts, garlic and cheese to a food processor and pulse until the basil is finely chopped.
With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil to fully combine. Scrape the sides of the food processor and continue to pulse as required. Add the salt to taste.
If too thick, add one tablespoon of ice water at a time until all the ingredients are completely combined and the pesto has a creamy consistency.