Basil And Roasted Garlic Pesto - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 head garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 -5 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
lemon wedge
salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut top 1/3 off of garlic head; peel away paper skin to thin layer or 2 surrounding the cloves.
Place in small ovenproof dish; drizzle top with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.
Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 70 minutes; allow to cool.
Squeeze garlic out of the paper skin into a small bowl; set aside.
Place half the basil in a blender; add 1/2 the extra virgin olive oil, garlic, parsley, pine nuts, salt, pepper, and the remaining basil, the other half of the oil, and pulse until blended.
Remove mixture to a bowl; add the parmesan and juice from lemon wedge and mix well.
Adjust salt and pepper to taste.