Basil Asiago Pesto

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup asiago cheese (the longer aged, the better)
1/4 cup toasted pinenuts
1/3 cup olive oil
salt
pepper

Optional garnish:
8 oz sauted sliced mushrooms

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender, pulse until a thick paste forms. Toss with 1 lb cooked pasta. Garnish with mushrooms and serve.

Yield: about 4 servings

My thoughts:

We have gone asiago crazy! My husband recently discovered how much he likes asiago and has been sneaking it into everything. So when I went to make pesto for dinner tonight, I swapped the parmesan for some aged asiago. It is really good, asiago has a fairly assertive flavor which seems to bring out the pepper flavor in basil. I love it when such a simple change can bring new life to a old favorite.