Shelly's Recipe

ASIAGO PESTO BREAD

Category: Bread

1 cup almonds, preferably marcona
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups shredded Asiago cheese, divided
1/3 cup olive oil
1 loaf sweet French bread or sourdough

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor, add the almonds and pulse until they are finely chopped. Add the basil, black pepper and cinnamon and process until incorporated. Add 1 cup of the cheese, pulse a few times, then with the machine still running, slowly add in the olive oil.

Cut the bread in half, spread it with the pesto and bake on a cookie sheet for 7 to 10 minutes. At this point, remove the bread, sprinkle it with the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese and turn on the broiler. Broil the bread until the cheese has melted and starting to brown. Remove from the oven, cut it into 8 portions and serve immediately.