Italian Home Cooking and Entertaining

Ingredients:
1 lb. fusilli pasta
½ cup fresh basil leaves
2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 pinch fleur du sel or another delicate salt
Butter
1 pinch freshly grated black pepper

Using a mortar and pestle, work the basil leaves into the salt adding a few teaspoon of the olive oil at a time until uniformly smashed. Add the pine nuts, minced garlic and Parmesan cheese. Work the ingredients together until thoroughly blended.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and add the pasta.
Drain when the pasta is al dente. Pour the pesto onto the fusilli in a large serving bowl. Add butter and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serve immediately.