A lunch gathering + March DOTM: Basil Walnut Pesto

How is it that it's April?! This is surely no April Fools joke. Like I mentioned in my last post, it's been quite crazy around here. I took a red eye flight back from Mumbai and we had a lunch gathering that very Saturday with our dear friends. Trust me, I took a loooong nap after this lunch.

Egg Salad and Iberico Jamon Crostini

Grilled Butter Chicken

I marinated the chicken with Dancing Chef Butter Chicken paste and plain yogurt, and KW grilled them up. Super easy and everyone loved it. It's not spicy too so perfect for kids. 

Basil Walnut Pesto Strozzapreti

I picked up a pack of strozzapreti a while back from Redman and the internet signalled to me that it was best served with pesto. I also had a tub of walnuts sitting in my fridge so creating a refreshing herb-y paste seemed like the way to go. Making pesto is quite a no-brainer and definitely worth 15 minutes of your life. 

Ingredients
Serves 8 adults

• 2 cup toasted walnuts divided 
• 2 tablespoon minced garlic (4 cloves) 
• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese 
• 2 cup packed fresh basil, stems removed 
• 1 cups packed fresh Italian flat leaf parsley 
• 1 cup olive oil 1 of a lemon (optional) 
• Salt and fresh cracked black pepper taste
• 500g strozzapreti

Instructions 

1. Cook pasta as per instructions 
2. Combine 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts, minced garlic, 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, basil leaves, parsley, olive oil and juice from half a lemon in a food processor or blender. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Pulse continuously until all ingredients are broken down and well combined, 1-2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl at least once to ensure all ingredients are evenly mixed in. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired. Toss pesto with hot, cooked pasta to coat and heat through.  
3. Prepare to carb-load!