Pesto Pasta Soup

A delicious soup to warm up with this winter

Soup
3 tablespoons The Spicy Olive Tuscan Herb Olive Oil
1/2 cup finely chopped pancetta
4 cloves garlic
1 medium ripe tomato, peeled and chopped
1/2 lb. pound linguini

To make the soup, combine the oil, meat and garlic in a pan. Sauté over medium heat until the fat is running but the garlic hasn’t browned. Stir in tomato and six cups of water. Bring the soup to a boil

Pesto
1.5 c basil leaves
1 clove garlic, chopped coarse
.25 c. The Spicy Olive Tuscan Herb Olive Oil
1.5 tbsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1.5 tbsp. freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

To make the pesto, rinse the basil leaves and dry thoroughly. Combine the basil and garlic in a food processor and add 1.5 tablespoons of the oil. Pulse until a slightly chunky sauce forms, adding the rest of the oil. Spoon into a bowl, stir in the cheeses and season with salt. Float a spoonful more of the olive oil on top of the pesto until it is ready to use.

To finish the soup, stir in the linguini while it is boiling and cook until al dente. Remove from the heat, stir in the pesto and serve immediately.

You can make pesto like this ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for weeks. Save the cheese to add immediately before serving, however.