Ingredients:
Caprese Pasta
• 500 gms penne pasta
• 150 gms cherry tomatoes
• 100 gms mozzarella perline
• 200 gms basil pesto
• 25 gms fresh basil leaves thinly sliced, for tossing with the pasta
Basil Pesto
• 150 gms fresh basil leaves
• 150 gms fresh parsley (or spinach, or kale)
• 150 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 75 gms freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 100 gms pine nuts
• 1 no lemon
• 25 gms cloves of garlic
• 15 gms crushed red pepper flakes
• To taste salt
Chef of the day: (Divya BCT&CA 3rd sem )
METHOD:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When boiling, add the pasta and cook to al dente, approximately 11 minutes. When the pasta is done, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the pesto. Toast the pine nuts over medium low heat until just starting to turn a golden brown.
- In a food processor, combine all of the pesto ingredients together. Process until it reaches the desired consistency. Season to taste with additional salt, lemon, garlic, or red pepper flakes.
- Slice the tomatoes in half into bite sized pieces. Slice the fresh basil leaves from the pasta ingredient list into thin slices.
- Return the cooked pasta, pesto sauce, tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil to the large cooking pot (or in a large bowl). Toss to combine. Add a little of the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce for even coating. Serve immediately.