Pesto Pasta

“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”
– Federico Felini

While I generally veer towards marinara sauce when in a savory mood or towards an alfredo when I want to comfort myself, pesto is a rare option of choose. Not in the least because it seldom is made well, given that we don’t really get good basil here. But when made well, it is good! So, which is why I didn’t really try to emulate it at home for long until I really wanted to experiment with the loads of coriander and mint that I saw stocked in the fridge. And it was a breeze to make and to eat.

RECIPE

Feeds one greedy person or two warm souls

INGREDIENTS

• 100gms dry penne, or shape of your choice
• 1 liter water, boiling and salted
• 1 cup coriander leaves and stems, roughly chopped
• 1 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup cashew nuts
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped
• 1 medium sized onion, roughly chopped
• 2-3 green chillies
• 2 teaspoon oregano seasoning
• 2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 25 grams process cheese, shredded
• 2 tsp olive oil

METHOD

1. In a pot, add water with 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to boil. Then add your pasta and cook till al dente (with a bite to the center).
2. In a mixer, add the coriander, mint, cashews, onion, ginger, garlic, salt, and sugar. Blend till a paste is formed. You could also use the starchy cooking water of the pasta to smoothen the consistency of the pesto sauce.
3. In a pan, add oil, some of the chopped garlic, oregano, and red chilli flakes. Sauté for about a minute till fragrant and then add in the drained pasta.
4. Add the pesto mixture to the pan and mix well till combined. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes till the pasta absorbs the sauce.
5. Finish with a topping of processed cheese or melt into the sauce.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

1. You can make this with any kind of dry or fresh past but pairs best with short pasta shapes
2. Instead of mint and coriander, you can use basil as well.
3. Instead of cashew, you can also use the nut of your choice.
4. Reserve some of the pasta cooking water to bring the sauce to the consistency as required even while cooking with the pasta.