Best pesto pasta

Method

1. Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat or in a 170°C fan/gas 5 oven for 5-8 minutes, shuffling them halfway through, until lightly golden and fragrant. Leave to cool.
2. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Trim and halve the green beans, peel the potatoes and cut them into small bite-size chunks, roughly 2cm wide.
3. Use a pestle and mortar to crush the garlic with a pinch of coarse salt – this will help it break down. Add the pine nuts and a handful basil and continue to crush, grinding them with the pestle, adding more basil as the previous batch breaks down until it’s all incorporated apart from a few leaves to garnish. Pour in the oil a little at a time and continue to crush – everything will start to get creamy. Finally, add the cheeses and give it a final mix and crush.>
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5. Add the pasta and potatoes to the boiling water, cook for 6 minutes, then add the beans and cook everything for 2 more minutes. Save a mugful of the cooking water before draining. Return the drained pasta/veg to the pan and leave to stand for 1 minute before dressing with the pesto along with a glug of pasta water. Stir fairly vigorously to help the pasta water emulsify the sauce so it clings to the pasta. Serve with extra basil leaves, olive oil and cheese.