As I discuss at length in the Dining section this week, the food processor excels at many things, but none more than mayonnaise. Equipped with a smallish work bowl, an egg, a cup of oil, a dash of vinegar or lemon juice and pretty much anything else you can imagine, you can make unbelievable, mind-blowing mayonnaise while you’re washing the dishes.

The basics are below. But before getting to them, I want to share my latest triumph: pesto mayonnaise. I know this sounds like the sandwich spread offered by a casual dining operation but it is precisely a combination of pesto and mayonnaise, spurred by the abundance of basil in my refrigerator.

You start with mayonnaise, as below. With the egg and vinegar in the work bowl, add a big handful of basil — a loosely packed cup, say — a small handful of walnuts (maybe 1/4 cup, maybe 1/3); two medium cloves of garlic and the usual salt and pepper (leave out the mustard). Make the pesto with olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning and eat with fish or poached vegetables, or … as a sandwich spread. Just awesome.

It’s worth noting that any mayonnaise (including store bought) can be seasoned (see this Minimalist column from 2007), or thinned — with warm water (just stir a little into the food processor), cream or sour cream; this will make it saucier.