Penne With Pesto, Tomatoes And Olives

SERVES 4
Ingredients
PESTO
2 cups tightly packed basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, peeled, toasted if desired
Sea salt to taste
1/4cup toasted walnuts
1/3cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 to 7 tablespoons olive oil

PASTA
12 ounces penne or other short pasta
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
1/3cup kalamata olives, quartered
1/2to 3/4 cup pearl or cherry-size fresh mozzarella
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Basil leaves for garnish

Directions
To make the pesto, process the basil, garlic, salt, walnuts and cheese until the leaves are coarsely chopped. With the machine running, add about 6 tablespoons olive oil ( more as needed) until the mixture is smooth but still somewhat paste-like. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions in salted boiling water. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the rest. Leave the pasta in the pot. Stir in the tomatoes, olives and desired amount of pesto and heat through. If the mixture seems too dry, moisten with a little reserved pasta cooking water or more pesto.

To serve, warm pasta bowls, add pasta, top with the fresh mozzarella pearls and garnish with basil leaves.

---