>>16832847
Yeah that's fair, you can taste the difference for sure, but I really don't think the pine nuts are central to the pesto's flavor. Almonds totally work, and the basil, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil are IMO stronger flavors in the final product than the pine nuts. I probably wouldn't do, like, peanuts - that'd be quite the departure - but then again I haven't tried it. I do variations on pesto pretty frequently, you can add mint, pepper, butter, lemon, different nuts (you can toast them too), go crazy. With a little trial and error it's really flexible, and the nuts are probably the most flexible part.
IMO what I want out of a pesto is the strong herbal / aromatic flavor and smell of basil, a noticeable hit of that raw garlic spiciness, and a foundation of parmesan (often pecorino romano too) and a really nice olive oil. Everything else can change.