Google
 

December 27, 2010

Macaroni with Parsley-Peanut Pesto



There was a time I hadn't heard of pesto. Then came the time when I'd heard about it, but knew nothing about it. Then came the time when I first ate it. And then came the present. The time when I've heard about it, I know about it, I've eaten it, I make it and I experiment with different flavours. I've come a long way from asking a friend to bring me pine nuts from the US to using the humble peanut in my pesto.


At one time, I'd substitute pine nuts only with cashews. But I've become a bit more adventurous of late. Any nut and any kind of herb (needn't be a herb) and I've got a pesto going. To make it suitable for a lunch box, I added some mushrooms and some milk.


1 cup Macaroni, Cooked/Boiled with a little oil and salt

1 tbsp Olive Oil
2-3 tbsp Milk
1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced




For the Parsley Pesto:


1/2 cup Parsley Leaves
1 cube Low Fat Cheese
2 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
2 pods Garlic
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes


Salt and Pepper to taste


Grind together all the ingredients for the pesto.


Drain the pasta and keep aside.


Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Saute the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes. Add the pesto sauce and fry for a few minutes. Add the milk to get a sauce like consistency. Add the pasta and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.


A meal that comes together in minutes. There's not much chopping involved. And since I use a food processor to grind the pesto, there's no pounding to be done either. This is a perfect recipe for times when you want a nice meal and don't want to slave over the stove too much.

I hope all of you had a good Christmas. Happy Holidays!

11 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey,

Beautiful macaroni with parsley and peanut pesto...Lovely combo..:)

Dr.Sameena@

http://www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com/

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Personally, I'd leave out the mushrooms and then its the perfect pasta for me. :)

Yes, I understand about the egg replacer, so don't worry. :)

Season's greetings and best wishes for a very happy new year.

WinnyNinny PooPoo said...

Lovely and delicious too!!!

Hari Chandana P said...

So tempting and delicious recipe.. amazing click.. Thanks for the recipe


Hari Chandana
Indian Cuisine

crypticrow said...

slurp slurp

vijay said...

nice alternative to mac n cheese! looks good
http://biyerrecipe.blogspot.com/

Nupur said...

Funny thing is, I live in the US where pine nuts are widely available yet I never use them in pesto because (a) they are very very expensive and (b) they can be rancid and give you "pine nut mouth"! I prefer to use walnuts in pesto. Your version looks delicious!

Priya Sreeram said...

yummy-loved it !

Unknown said...

wow, love pesto in any shape or form, beautifully done.

KamalKitchen said...

hey,
never tried peanuts in a pesto..i generally go with almonds or walnuts..this looks really quick and easy.

thanks!
pb

sra said...

Peanut-flavoured pasta! That would be interesting. How are you?