Post-Dispatch file photo

My basil is thriving, and that means one thing: Time for pesto. I always make it in the food processor with good results, but according to the San Francisco Chronicle, the source of a recipe that will be in the Post-Dispatch Wednesday and online later this week, using a mortar and pestle produces pesto that looks and tastes better.

Saveur magazine concurs, and recommends using a heavy mortar and pestle made of stone. If you’d like to buy a mortar and pestle, check kitchenware stores and ethnic markets. The ones sold at ethnic markets, of course, will probably be less expensive. Mortars and pestles are widely available online, but they’re heavy, so shipping costs might be high.

As much as I love pesto, the classic version — loaded with cheese, nuts and oil — has so much fat that it’s a splurge.  I’m always looking for recipes that are lower in fat that I can enjoy more often. This recipe, which stretches half an ounce of cheese, a tablespoon of pine nuts and a quarter-cup of olive oil to serve eight, has been a favorite since the summer of 2000, when I interviewed its creator, Susan Herrmann Loomis, a cooking teacher in France and author of “Italian Farmhouse Cookbook” and other cookbooks. I’ve always made this recipe with green beans, never with fresh favas.

PASTA WITH FAVA BEANS, POTATOES AND BASIL
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

For the vegetables and pasta:
Salt
3 pounds fresh small fava beans in their pods, shelled and skinned (see note), or 12 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut crosswise in half
12 ounces new potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 pound good-quality dried pasta, such as cavatappi, farfalle or fusilli

For basil pesto:
1 clove garlic, cut in half
1/3 cup (generous 1/2 ounce) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon pine nuts
7 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt

To finish the pasta:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

To prepare vegetables and pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add beans, return to a boil, and boil until they have softened but still have texture, about 3 minutes for favas, 5 to 7 minutes for green beans. If using favas, remove them at this point with a slotted spoon; the green beans require further cooking. Add potatoes; cook until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Be sure not to overcook the potatoes so that they won’t fall apart. Using a slotted spoon, remove vegetables from pan. Cover loosely so that they retain their heat.

Return cooking water to a boil. Add pasta, stir, and cook until it is al dente (tender but still firm to the bite), about 7 minutes.

While pasta is cooking, prepare pesto: Place garlic, cheese, and pine nuts in a large mortar or food processor; grind with a pestle or process until they are minced. Add basil; grind or process until minced. Add oil in a fine stream, mixing or processing all the while so that it combines well with the other ingredients. Season to taste with salt; transfer to a large shallow serving bowl.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add pasta and vegetables to pesto; toss to combine. Add butter and toss, then add enough of the cooking water so that the pasta is pleasantly moist, not watery. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

Note: If your fava beans are very fresh, you may not need to peel them. Sample one and see. If the peel is bitter, the favas will be better off without it.