Pasta has permeated the Indian cuisine and it’s an oft-found dish on restaurant menus. Given that what’s served up isn’t authentically Italian, it’s nevertheless popular. While rigatoni, orecchiette, gnocchi and angel hair might be less mainstream, lasagna, spaghetti, penne and fusilli are far more easily available.
When making pasta at home we tend to go for the bottled pasta sauces available in stores and supermarkets. It’s easy and quick and requires nothing more than just adding it to boiled and strained pasta. But the flip side is that it’s full of preservatives, sugar, sodium and can be quite unhealthy.
I figured I’d make pesto at home, since it seems to be a favourite and I could control how much oil and salt I add to it.
Basil leaves thankfully are cheap and I found that I could make a batch of pesto sauce within no time – while re-watching Cold Case in fact.
I didn’t film the making of the Pesto sauce, but that’s coming. What I did film is making Pesto Pasta and just a large tablespoon of the sauce was enough for a batch of pasta for 4.
I didn’t add pine nuts as the original recipe demands because that would defeat the purpose of keeping it within budget as pine nuts in India are outrageously priced. I went desi and made it with walnuts and almonds. The result is an absolutely delicious batch of pesto that’s creamy and delicious and inexpensive to make.
To make this pasta you’ll need:
2 and a half cups of any pasta
2 and a half tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of all purpose flour
1 or 2 tablespoons of Pesto sauce
1 and a 1/2 cup of milk
Seasoning of your choice (I used Happy chef’s multipurpose seasoning and Italian seasoning)
1/2 cup Diced cheese
Chicken or sausages optional
Boil the pasta in salted water till al dente
Strain, add some olive oil, stir and cover
In a pot add some butter and garlic
Let it cook for 30 seconds and then add all purpose flour
Stir briskly and add milk
Once it thickens slightly add the pesto
Stir to combine and add the pasta
Gently coat the pasta with the sauce add seasoning and cheese
Add grilled chicken or sausages if using
Keep folding till the cheese melts
Done!
Adjust the seasoning according to your taste. Add more milk if you’d like it creamier. When reheating add a few teaspoons of milk to prevent the pasta from drying out. You could add red or yellow bell peppers to lend a pop of colour and of course a shot of Vitamin C.
