Too good to be true Pesto

 What would you say, if I told you that I had the best Pesto recipe ever??!! Impossible right, cause I’m not even Italian, nor can I trace any of my roots to that hallowed land of food. (Ya, sometimes I dream I was Italian, eating their food everyday … bliss, bliss.) But I DO have the best pesto recipe. The result of trial, error, trial, error, consultation of many books and amalgamation of the best tips from the net – I give to you – Too Good to be True Pesto. I can’t even tell you it kicks store bought pesto’s ass because that would be like comparing a diamond to a piece of coal! I’m not claiming its authentic, I’m not even claiming that its by the book, but what it is, is heavenly green awesomeness that I could wrap my tongue around and ride off into the sunset with! Am I getting carried away? No, No, No… when you’ve found the holy grail of pesto’s wouldn’t you be shouting it out from the mountain tops? Here’s to my beloved Pesto – I love you, I do.  

Too Good to be True Pesto

Prep time: 20 mins

Cooking time: Nil

Serves: 4 (for pasta)

What you need:

1/3 cup Pine Nuts/ Almonds (I like Almonds better)

2 cups fresh Basil leaves, finely packed

1/3 cup Olive Oil (good quality)

4 cloves Garlic (med)

1/3 - 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

40 gms Butter, softened

1/2 - 3/4th Tbsp Sea Salt, depending on taste
Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

What to do:

Place almonds in a dry pan, stir under moderate heat till lightly toasted. Or microwave for 1 min, stir in-between once. Place in a food processor and give it a whir till you get small pieces. Add basil leaves, garlic and sea salt. Process for 20 secs or until you can still see micro mini pieces of the basil leaves. DO NOT process till pasty. For best results I would use a mortar and pestle, but on busy days the processor can be used intelligently. Transfer to a bowl. Add parmesan cheese, butter and pepper. Mix well. Now here’s the best bit - add ½ the olive oil and mix with the pesto. The remaining oil can be poured on top of the pesto. This protects the green color. Now sit and admire!

To serve with Pasta: Drain 500 gms of cooked pasta, (I’ve used whole wheat spaghetti) add the prepared pesto. (I go by three tsps per serving). Toss with more Olive Oil if required. Serve immediately. Sprinkle extra parmesan if you want to indulge.

Note: Pesto sauce can be made in large quantities for later use. It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to a week (covering it with a thin layer of olive oil preserves the color) if you keep in a glass jar with a well fitting lid.
If you want it to last longer, avoid mixing in the butter (as the butter can turn rancid). You can always mix in some fresh butter just before serving.

Pesto can also be stored in the freezer and will retain its color and flavor. Thaw in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before use.

Spaghetti Chicken Bolognaise

Bolognaise Sauce is a thick meat and tomato sauce served with pasta (usually spaghetti), originally from the city of Bologna in Northern Italy. The sauce is also known as Ragũ and traditionally contains chopped ham, beef, lean pork, chicken livers, several vegetables and white wine. The recipe I have is a special hand crafted one. (So let’s put it this way…I’ve tweaked the recipe to suit what was there at home and it turned out just fine). My star ingredient was the humble chicken (substituting the ham, beef and pork). I deserve credit for making the bolognaise sauce friendly for people who don’t eat red meat :)

Spaghetti Chicken Bolognaise

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 40 mins

Serves: 4-6

What you need:

400 gms Chicken Mince

4 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Onions (finely chopped)

2 Carrots (diced small)

8 Garlic cloves (finely chopped)

1 Celery Stem (finely chopped)

4 Tomatoes (finely chopped)

8 Tbsp Tomato Puree

2 Tbsp Ketchup

2 tsps Chili flakes

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Parsley

400 gms Spaghetti

Parmesan Cheese (freshly grated to serve)

Salt and Pepper

What to do:

Heat oil add garlic and then onion, carrot, celery and chili flakes. Saute well but don’t let the onions brown. Add tomatoes and cook for 2 mins. Add Chicken mince and sauté for 3 mins. Add the tomato puree and ketchup, mix well. Toss in sugar, herbs and seasoning. Cook for 2 mins. Add 1 cup of water and stir to get a thick sauce. Cook to desired consistency.

Meanwhile, bring a large heavy bottomed pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta return to a boil and cook for 10 mins, or until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain, transfer to a warmed serving dish, Drizzle with a little olive oil and toss well. Pour the sauce over the pasta and serve with grated parmesan cheese. Hearty and Tasty!

P.S. For a version closer to the original, substitute 400 gms chicken mince with 100 gms lean Bacon, 100 gms Chicken livers, 100 gms pork and 100 gms beef. You can also add in ½ cup white wine after sautéing the meat.

Spaghetti Friday

Mondays are strange days. You still haven't shaken the stupor of the weekend but you know there's loads of work to do.(sigh sigh..) Friday's on the other hand are full of energy. Somehow the thought that the next 48 hours can be spent outside the office is enough to put that zing in anyone's steps. So I headed home bouncing on a trampoline (well not literally), to whip up a quick but satisfying meal before catching a movie. There was a packet of Spaghetti and I was personally leaning towards a tomato based sauce but the co-resident/ husband wanted something cheesy. So the final outcome was Spaghetti in Creamy Tomato sauce with Olives. Its pretty much a throw everything in recipe, so go ahead and fine tune the quantities to suit your taste. Also I mostly cook for two (but the co-resident can easily eat for three), so my recipes serve 4 people. Well, in Indian homes we always make more than we need and feed people till they can't eat another morsel. So a little extra never hurt.. what say? Have fun with your Cooking..

Spaghetti with Olives in a Creamy Tomato Sauce

Serves 3-4

What you need:

350 gms Spaghetti

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

6 flakes Garlic (minced)

1 Med Size Onion (chopped)

1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes

20 Marinated Black/ Green Olives

1 tsp Flour

4 Tbsp Tomato Puree

2 Med Tomatoes (chopped)

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Sugar

1/4 tsp dried/ 2 Tbsp Fresh Basil

1/4 cup Grated Cheese

1/2 cup milk

4 Tbsp Cream

What to do:

In a saucepan heat the Olive Oil and add Garlic and Onions. Saute till onions turn transluscent. Add chilli flakes and fry for a few seconds before adding the flour. Now fry for a minute. We're making a roux here, so that the sauce is of coating consistency. Add in the tomatoes and saute for a few minutes. The key is to smash them around so that they release all their yummy juices. Add the tomato puree now and cook for 2 mins. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. There's the tomato sauce, now to make it creamy we need to add in the milk, and grated cheese (Slowly, gently, dreamily ... ) and stir till all the ingredients look like they have become one happy family. Now take the pan off the stove. Toss in the olives and basil, mix in the cream (full fat is always yummy), but skip if you don't exercise.

Cook the spaghetti according to instructions on the packet (toss in some rock salt in the water). Drain and mix the spaghetti with the sauce and serve hot. Always cook the spagehtti just before serving otherwise it will go cold and sticky and won't mix with the sauce well.

Bon Appetit!