Pasta in Creamy Basil Pesto

Ohh I love spring and summer here in Scandinavia for the fresh veggies and greens that comes to the market! Back in India, the change in seasons hardly went noticed – except for very seasonal veggies and fruits like mangoes in summer, jackfruit in rainy season, avrekayi in winter and a few more, there is hardly any change in the availability of other veggies. However, here seasons are a big deal! Everything depends on the seasons and the same goes for the food that you cook due to the availability of ingredients. Of course you get most of the items as frozen these days, but we are more of fresh-food loving people!

So one of the things I look forward to in spring and summer is fresh basil! Oh how I have fallen in love with this herb! I love love it and so does D. So every time we see a bunch of fresh basil, we just greedily grab it! And most of the times it goes into a pesto and then to a pasta, though occasionally there are other experiments with it.

This is one of the pastas that we love – quick, flavorful, wholesome, as rich/dull as you want it, and versatile – do any changes you want and it tastes differently good! It is also good for lunch box (see notes below).

If you’re in a place where you can get fresh basil, don’t miss trying this! Here’s the recipe…

 Pasta in Creamy Basil Pesto 

Ingredients:

Pasta - 200 gms, Penne or any other shape

Onions - 1 medium sized, chopped (optional)

Green chilies - 1, slit (optional – only if you want extra heat)

Olive oil – 2-3 tsp

Full Milk/Cream/Crème Fraiche – 1/2 cup, adjust according to the consistency needed

Cheese – Parmesan / Mozzarella – 3-4 Tbsp, shredded

For the Pesto:

Fresh basil leaves – 1 medium sized bunch

Walnuts or pine nuts – 1/2 cup

Garlic – 1-2 flakes

Olive oil - 1 Tbsp

Pepper powder - ½ - 1 tsp, adjust acc to taste

Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste

Method:

Pesto:

• Pick and wash basil leaves.

• Optionally toast the walnuts / pine nuts slightly – it is ok to use raw too

• In a blender/mixie jar add the nuts, basil leaves and garlic and pulse till coarse

• Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and continue to pulse till almost smooth and scoop out into a bowl

Pasta:  

• Cook pasta as per instructions on the packet, drain and let cool slightly

• Heat 1 Tsp of oil in a pan and sauté the onion with green chilly if using, till they are cooked but slightly crunchy.

• Add the pesto prepared above and bring to a gentle boil.

• Mix in the pasta, adjust salt and pepper

• Finally add the cream/milk to make it slightly saucy – or to the consistency you prefer.

• Garnish with shredded cheese and mix well

Notes:

• Pasta can be just mixed with the pesto and served as is – But I prefer doing it his way and adding some cream so that it is more saucy and gets coated with the pesto well.

• Mixing it ahead of serving time makes the pasta dry. Mix just before serving.

• I make this for D’s lunch box also sometimes. I boil the pesto with cheese and cream and pack the cooked and completely cooled pasta and the pesto sauce separately. He heats it in a microwave and mixes just before eating.

•I also add some veggies like capsicum sometimes to make it healthier and to add a new dimension.

Mexican Rice

Me: What shall we prepare for lunch?
D: I feel like eating something different…
Me: I too was feeling like… Shall I make some Thai curry and rice?
D: Ummm… But I feel like eating Mexican, not Thai today….
Me: Hmmm….. Mexican?
D: Yeah… Why don’t you search and tell me the recipe for a nice Mexican rice and I’ll cook it for you…
Me: Wow! Cool!!

This was our conversation one weekend, when D decides to hijack the kitchen and produce some amazingly awesome stuff! One of the reasons I love weekends for ;). Being very experimental in the kitchen, he churns out some really tasty stuff, most of the times some innovative dishes! Initially I used to be apprehensive about the taste when he decides to add some ‘random’ ingredient or follow a ‘unique’ method. But over time, I have come to trust his culinary skills and have chosen not to interfere with him when he’s in the kitchen, except to help him with the chopping, cleaning and doing the dishes later! And I even decided to add to my blog some of his creations (only some of them, when I have the patience to click some pics before hogging on it). 

I did have an idea of what goes into a Mexican rice usually and was sure I had most of the ingredients at home. When I googled, I came across a lot of recipes with small differences, and I decided on this one adapted from a couple of them, with my own modifications to suit our taste buds and ingredients.

It was one delicious lunch, I must say…. Very different from the usually tomato rice I make… though the ingredients are not very different from an Indian recipe… Mexican rice recipes, they say are very close to Indian… 

So here’s the cheesy, sticky Mexican rice, which we loved and have made it a couple more times later….

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:
Tomatoes – 3-4 medium sized
Onion – 1, medium sized, finely chopped
Green bell pepper - 1, finely chopped
Jalapenos – 1-2, finely chopped (with seeds and ribs removed)
Black/red beans – 1/2 cup, soak for a few hours if using dried ones
Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
Bay leaf - 1
Red chili powder - 1 tsp (adjust as per your taste preference)
Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
Long grain white rice – 2 cups, wash, soak for a few minutes and rinse
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Olive oil/ butter - 2 Tbsp
Fresh coriander – 1/4 cup, chopped
Lime/lemon juice – 2 tsp
Cheddar cheese – 1/2 cup grated

Method:
• Cook the beans in enough water and a little salt till soft but firm and drain
• Blanch the tomatoes in hot water and peel off the skin and puree till smooth
• In a pressure cooker / a large saucepan, heat oil/butter over medium heat.
• Add onions and garlic and sauté till slightly done
• Add the peppers, then rice, beans, bay leaf, jalapenos.
• Sauté until the rice is slightly browned.
• Add 2 cups of water, tomato puree, chili powder, cumin powder and salt and bring to a boil.
• If using pressure cooker cook for one whistle. If cooking in the saucepan, reduce heat and simmer till the rice is just cooked
• Let cool for about 10 minutes and mix in the coriander, lime juice and mix gently taking care not to make the rice mushy
• Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with grated cheese and serve hot.

Notes:
• Chopped veggies can also be added
• I use the red kidney beans that I have in my pantry; usually black beans are used
• The cheese gives a nice gooey and rich taste to the rice – We like to add it at the end and not mix it in for that extra effect.

Pasta Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Ohhh... I've been missing here in action, haven't I? Well, blame it on pure lethargy... to write and post :( Though i have a dozen posts in drafts, they are just pics and i still need to do the writing... And just the way I am, I was too pre-occupied with other things that i didn't feel like blogging.

And today, there was a deadline for my next article in VK and I had to write! Writing as I was, i thought why not start posting something on my beloved blog as well and here I am....

This is one other salads that i make quite often, and had not made it to the blog yet. I usually make a salad to accompany a not-so-healthy meal, like pizza / lasagne, etc just so that the guilt is reduced :D. 

So without much rant here's the recipe...

Pasta Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Ingredients:

Pasta - Fusili or any other shape - 2 handfuls
Apple - 1, cored and chopped

Green, red, yellow Capsicum - 1 cup, deseeded and chopped

For dressing:

Yogurt - 1/4 cup

Mayonaise - 4 Tbsp
Olive Oil - 1 Tbsp

Vinegar - 2 tsp, optional

Italian dried herbs - Thyme/Oregano - 1 tsp

Salt                  - ¼ tsp or as per taste

Black pepper powder - ½ tsp or as per taste

Method:

• Cook pasta as per the instructions on the pack, and allow to cool completely
• Core and chop apples; Deseed and chop capsicum. 
• Mix these in a large bowl
• in another small bowl, mix the ingredients for dressing.
• Give a good shake, and add it to the salad
• Mix well and serve

Notes:

• Add the dressing just before serving as the pasta absorbs the liquid and becomes dry.
• If the dressing seems thick, thin it out by adding a little water or buttermilk