Cooking from scratch needn’t be too hard if you get your hands on the right recipes and/or think ahead when you do actually have some time on your hands.
Here’s a pasta dish that I consider a ‘real crowd pleaser’... every time!
Pesto Genovese (Vegetarian)
Although ready-bought jars are amongst the most popular sauces for a pasta dish, it does not come close to those which are freshly prepared.
The only utensil you will need is a handheld processor or a stick blender.
- 50g fresh basil leaves
- 4tbsp pine nuts
- 2/3 garlic cloves (depending how garlicky you want it to taste)
- 120ml of good extra virgin olive oil (this will make all the difference and no it is not too much!)
- 115g Parmigiano Reggiano
- Salt and fresh ground Pepper
The above ingredients are good enough for 500g of pasta
Blend everything together except for the cheese. Pour in the olive oil in stages, scraping down the sides as you go along. Once you are ready for it to be added to your hot pasta shapes (ideally something like fusilli), add all the Parmigiano and give it a mix. Toss it with your pasta and make sure you have more Parmigiano to sprinkle on top.
Tips...
If you will not be enjoying this with friends or family or you will use much less than 500g of pasta, you may mix everything but the cheese. Mix the cheese separately, saving the rest for another day.
It will keep quite well submerged in oil, in a glass container with a lid in the fridge. Say a week? 1 heaped tablespoon will do well with around 150/200g of pasta.
Now that you know... Go and do it!
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