I'm going to tell you how to make something quick and tasty with basil and pine-nuts, among other things. I call this 'pesto' but there are probably people out there who will insist that it's nothing like authentic pesto, for which you need special cheese (pecorino romano, I believe) and an Italian grandmother. Fair enough - I've never even been to Italy, so I admit my recipe might not be anything like the real thing. I don't care. If you want to try authentic pesto I can only suggest you go and look in your local supermarket - they'll probably have it. You'll know when you've found it - it'll say on the jar.
This recipe is easiest if you have a pestle and mortar, but not everyone does so I'll tell you how to do it without.
Here it is.
50g pine-nuts
A bunch of fresh basil
A handful or two of grated cheese
1 tablespoon of olive oil
A fairly small clove of garlic
A pinch of salt
A little ground black pepper
Any kind of pasta - about 100g for each person
If you have a pestle and mortar, start by pounding the pine-nuts, garlic and basil then add all the other ingredients, except the pasta, and pound everything together. If you don't have a pestle and mortar, don't worry, pine-nuts are very soft - I've squashed them with the bottom of a glass jar before. Use your imagination - they don't need to be completely pulverised. Your final mixture will be a bit coarser, but that's okay. Squash the garlic with the flat of a knife blade and for the basil, use scissors. Put the basil in a glass or a cup and chop it with the scissors - this is very effective. After squashing the nuts and garlic and chopping the herb, mix all the ingredients in a bowl with a fork.
Whichever method you use, if you put a pan of water on to boil for the pasta before you start, you should easily be able to finish making the pesto before the pasta is cooked. When the pasta is ready, drain it, return it to the pan and stir in the pesto. Serve with sliced fresh tomatoes.