Anna's Pesto Trapanese

I saw this recipe on "A Moveable Feast" on PBS. It's by Lidia Bastianich of "Lidia's Italian Kitchen" fame. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm putting it here for safe keeping. Can't wait for those first cherry tomatoes of summer!

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 cups cherry tomatoes, very ripe and sweet (3/4 pound)
• 12  large fresh basil leaves
• 1  garlic clove, crushed and peeled
• 1⁄3 cup  whole almond, lightly toasted
• 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon coarse sea salt (to taste) or 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
• 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup  freshly grated  grana padano or 1⁄2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Directions

1. Rinse the cherry tomatoes and pat them dry. Rinse the basil leaves and pat dry.
2. Drop the tomatoes into the blender jar or food-processor bowl, followed by the garlic clove, the almonds, basil leaves, pepper flakes, and salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine puree; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large bits or pieces have survived.
3. With the machine still running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, emulsifying the puree into a thick pesto. Taste, and adjust seasoning. If you're going to dress pasta within a couple of hours, leave the pesto at room temperature. Refrigerate for longer storage, up to 2 days, but let it return to room temperature before adding to pasta.
4. Serve over 1 pound of hot cooked pasta. Top with the cheese.