Amita Nene's Yummy Expressions
Basil
Pesto – The Italian lifeline!
This
year post monsoons I have a grand plan to create my own little kitchen garden,
growing all those amazing cherry tomatoes and jalapenos and herbs shrubs!!!
I
have always been fascinated with all the exotic herbs that can be experimented
with in the kitchen. The distinct
flavour and aroma if they are added to the right dish in right proportion; it
can take your preparation into a very unique inimitable culinary experience.
There’s
Basil… my most loved and most used of
the herbs…… what would my pasta and pizza sauces be like without it
Then
there is Oregano…. My omelettes and
dips would be incomplete without this one
Our
very own favourite Mint…… Can’t
imagine my chutneys without it… and sometimes adds zest to my salad dressing
The
list can go on…. And the more I experiment with these herbs in my culinary
adventures, the more I come to love them. It’s almost like I can’t do without
my stock of basil and oregano in the fridge anymore!
Couple
of posts ago, I shared with you the very full of flavour and full of taste
Pizza sauce recipe. With basil as one of its core ingredient for giving it the
true essence, this sauce has been taking my sandwiches, toasts, pizzas and
pastas to a very distinctive level.
Yet
another truly loved creation is the Basil Pesto….
With
its unusual mix of textures, Basil Pesto, I guess is the undoubted winner in
every Pasta lover’s home. It is a real treat to the taste buds to explore and
relish each of its fine ingredients.
And
if you have a jar of homemade Basil Pesto stacked in your refrigerator, you are
ever ready to create a yummy dish within few minutes of demand.
So
let’s check out how to create your very own and very ‘easy to make’ Basil Pesto
at home…
To
get going you need,
2
cups Fresh chopped basil leaves
½
cup shredded Parmesan cheese
½
cup extra virgin Olive Oil
1/3
cup chopped walnuts or pine nuts
3
tsp chopped garlic
1
tsp coarsely pounded black pepper corns
Add
the basil leaves and nuts in a chopper bowl. Pulse for 4-5 seconds at a time
till the nuts and leaves have turned into a coarse mixture. Add garlic, pepper
and cheese and continue to pulse till all ingredients are blended well. Now add
olive oil, a little quantity at a time and pulse after each addition.
Your
Basil Pesto is ready!!!!
It’s
simple, easy and ready in minutes. It can make the most amazing pasta sauce, a
delectable sandwich spread or an excellent dip for your cucumber/carrot/ radish
sticks or your herbed chicken fingers.
I
am waiting to try my hands at some of my own versions of Pesto… how about the
tomato and almonds version? Or may be an olives pesto? Want to try zucchini
with raw pumpkin seeds? Or may be a fresh herbs Pesto with cilantro and
parsley?
Let
the expressions flow… and let them help us go creative to dish out some yummy
versions of pestos. Are you ready??
Keep
watching this space for more!! Ta’da!
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