I found a great pesto recipe from Ina Garten of the Food Network. This easy recipe takes only 15 minutes to prepare and makes 4 cups. All the ingredients you should be able to find at your local grocery store. The pine nuts might be the most difficult ingredient to find. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Notes: Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out.

To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days

Making high quality pesto at home is definitely something any home cook can undertake and I think it can be made to rival any pesto in a restaurant or in a grocery store. If you can get some fresh basil then you’ll have an even better chance (note: planting a small herb garden with basil is a great way to get some wonderful basil). From there, most pesto recipes are just a nice mix of the basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic, pine nuts and salt and pepper to taste. Here is a nice recipe from Ina Garten that mixes it up a little by adding in some walnuts:
ngredients
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
• 5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups good olive oil
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute.