GEORGE'S RECIPE of THE MONTH.
 George has had a love of all things culinary from a very young age, and throughout his career, has worked with renowned chefs and food technologists. He discovered his passion for cooking at the age of five after spending time in his grandmother's restaurant. From then on, under his mother's guidance (who is a talented cook of her own accord) George recalls cooking anything his mother would let him, starting out with scrambled eggs and hamburgers and quickly moving on to fine Italian and French dishes.
After many years of honing and perfecting his culinary craft, George still enjoys what he humbly considers: "complimenting my family culinary experience," by taking courses in regional cuisines pertaining to the vegetable ingredient products his family specializes in, namely: Asian, French, Mediterranean, Mexican and Tex Mex.
Because of George's extensive knowledge and passion for food, he is a great resource to customers in helping them find the right ingredients for their recipe needs. "I need to understand what's happening in the kitchen," he explained. "If my client has an unfavorable flavor note, I need to be able to assess the situation to understand why." That extra level of service and care undoubtedly stems from his love of food and his work alike, which fortunately for George, go hand and hand.
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For the Pesto Sauce:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
3–4 cloves garlic, peeled 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for tossing Juice and zest of 1 small lemon 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste) For the Pasta Salad:
1 pound fresh cheese tortellini
8 ounces fresh mini mozzarella balls (pearl sized) 1 pint sweet cherry tomatoes, halved |
  1 - Make sauce by adding basil, garlic, and pine nuts in food processor and pulse several times until chopped. Add olive oil and lemon juice with zest. Process until smooth and well blended. Add freshly grated parmesan and pulse a few times just to combine.
2 - Use a rubber spatula to scrape all of the pesto sauce into a container; season with kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste. Cover airtight and chill until ready to serve.
3 - In a pot of generously salted water, cook tortellini to al dente according to package instructions. Drain, but do not rinse. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil to prevent sticking.
4 - Gently toss tortellini with mozzarella and tomatoes in a serving bowl. Add desired amount of pesto sauce and serve.
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