Having anointed myself the Chef de Cuisine of the house and drumming out a ‘license to thrill’ from the housemates, I look forward to cooking on Thursdays, the day ear marked for a dish that is out of the norm. I find cooking therapeutic and the whole idea of cooking to feed the ‘family’ gives me enormous satisfaction. The compliments that follow, more than make up for the sweat and toil behind the stove! No new experiment goes without a silent ‘Thank you mum’, for all those hours in the kitchen after a hard day’s work.

Today I was in the mood for a bit of an Italiano. The key was- keep it simple yet tasty. As I flipped through a cookbook, I settled on my favourite Pesto with some good old Spaghetti. You may choose to substitue the Spaghetti with either Penne, Spirali or Gnocchi Pasta.

Onto the drawing board!  

500g Spaghetti
1/2 cup Olive oil
50g Pine nuts
2 cloves of Garlic
1 bunch of Basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

  • Cook Spaghetti in plenty of salted boiling water on a medium flame for 6-8 minutes until al dente.
  • In the meantime, heat 1 tsp olive oil in a small wok/frying pan  over medium flame.
  • Add 50g Pine nuts and cook for about three minutes till golden brown.
  • Transfer into a mixer/food processor with two shelled Garlic cloves, a pinch of sea Salt and freshly ground Pepper.
  • Process until finely chopped.
  • Add leaves from a bunch of Basil with 1/2 cup Olive oil.
  • Process to form a course paste.
  • Transfer into a bowl and mix with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan.
  • Drain Pasta and return to wok/pan.
  • Add Pesto and toss until pasta is coated.
  • Serve hot with cheese shavings as a topping.

Buon appetito!