Penne pasta in Basil Pesto Sauce

Basil pesto sauce - it is my favorite pasta sauce and any mention to it makes my mouth water! It is incredibly simple to prepare this recipe and once you give this a try - you will NEVER go back to buying store bought canned pesto sauce again... I promise!! So without wasting anymore of your time, let me take you over the ingredients and super simple process.

Do give this a try and let me know your feedback in the comments section below. Happy cooking!!

Ingredients:

• To make the Pesto Sauce
• 2 cups Fresh Basil
• ¹/₂ cup Pine Nuts - roasted
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• ¹/₄ cup + 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 cup Parmiggino Reggiano (adjust to taste) - finely grated
• Salt & Pepper - to taste
• To make the Pasta
• ¹/₂ lb Penne Pasta
• Water
• Salt

Method:

• To make the Pesto Sauce
• Wash & dry the basil. You can use the stem that comes with the leaves as it contains a lot of flavor too.
• In a food processor, add basil, roasted pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper. Process it until it becomes a smooth paste. Add the oil and process it to incorporate it evenly. 
• Remove the paste into a bowl and mix in the parmiggino reggiano. At this point, you can taste it and adjust the seasonings if necessary.
• To make the pasta, boil the pasta as per packaged instructions - make sure to season well with salt as this is the only time your pasta will have to absorb any seasonings; when done, reserve about 2 cups of water and drain the pasta.
• Mix the pesto sauce with the pasta and add the reserved pasta water (¹/₂ cup at a time) until the sauce is coated well on the pasta and it doesn't feel dry.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with garlic bread; homemade or store bought - your choice :)..

Garnish with grated parmiggiano reggiano when serving for extra oomph! (i.e. if you don't mind the extra calories...)

Coconut Chutney (Spicy Coconut Dip)

Coconut chutney is a spicy flavorful dip that is generally served with South-Indian delicacies. It is very easy to make and needs just handful of ingredients which will all be easily available at any of your local Indian grocery stores.

Do give this recipe a try and let me know your feedback in the comments below.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup Fresh Grated Coconut (I used the frozen variety)
• 2 tbsp Roasted Urad Dal/Black Gram/Black Lentil
• 2 tbsp Cilantro
• 1/4 cup Water (or adjust to your liking)
• For Tempering:
• 2 tsp Oil
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Urad Dal/Black Gram/Black Lentil
• 2-3 Dry Red Chillies
• 4-5 Curry Leaves
• 1/8 tsp Asafoetida 

Method:

• Grind the urad dal in a food processor.
• Add the cilantro and grind again.
• Finally, add the grated coconut and grind it one more time. Add water to aid the grinding process (only if necessary).
• Take the ground chutney in a serving bowl and add the remaining water.
• In a small saucepan or a small tempering bowl, heat the oil on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and black gram and let the mustard seeds crackle. Lastly, add dry red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida and pour it immediately over the prepared chutney mixture.
• Stir to combine and serve!
• Enjoy!!

Serving Suggestions:

Coconut chutney is served with South Indian delicacies like idly, sambar, medu vada, etc.