Before I go off in some other direction again this month, let me get right to the recipe I promised last April.

Pesto is one of those versatile sauces that you can utilize in a variety of ways. Not only that, but you can cut all your basil plants in the fall, put the leaves into sauce and freeze it for a quick meal some time down the road when you are too busy to make it from scratch. It will really keep for a long time in the freezer without any loss of quality.

Pesto, Italian for “pounded.” is an uncooked sauce made with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese and olive oil. The ingredients can be crushed with mortar and pestle, pounded with the smooth side of a meat hammer or finely chopped in a good processor.

This classic, fresh tasting sauce originated in Genoa, Italy, and although used on a variety of dishes, it is a favorite with pasta.

Now there are “pestos” made from a myriad of other ingredients from cilantro to mint. You can make it into bruschetta or any other hors d'oeuvre your mind can conceive. It's a simple dish and one you will want to make over and over again. If you can't find or can't afford pine nuts, you can use walnuts.

One easy way to store this sauce is to put it into ice cube trays and freeze just like you would ice. Then once it's frozen, pop the cubes out and put them into zip lock bags for long-term storage. If you have a vacuum sealing unit to take all of the air out of the bags, they will keep even better.

Bob Leonardi, of Auburn, ran a successful restaurant business, catering, and gourmet food store in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for 15 years.

Typical Pesto Sauce

3 cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup or so extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup Pecrino Romano cheese

1/2 pound pasta

Cut the pine nuts as fine as you can or use a food processor. Grate the Romano cheese. Be sure to put your pot of water on the stove so it will be ready to cook your pasta as soon as the sauce is ready. Don't forget to put a tablespoon or so of salt in your cooking water just before you add the pasta.

Put basil, garlic and pine nuts in a blender. Slowly add the oil until the mixture is smooth. Add the grated cheese and blend everything together well.

Cook the pasta according to instructions on package. If you are using angle hair, you will need much more sauce than for thicker pasta. This holds true for any kind of sauce but especially for pesto because it is a little drier than most sauces.