Chef Al dente: Rocket Pesto Pappardelle

I simply pesto in any form - be it made from spinach, basil or rocket! And it has to be one of the most tastiest and easiest pasta sauces ever… All it takes is just to blend together the ingredients and mix in with the cooked pasta. How easy is that? Rocket leaves tend to be a bitter compared to the sweetness of basil so if you do not like that flavor you can always add more basil or just use basil completely and avoid the rocket leaves. Make sure the leaves are fresh as the pesto will taste magnificent with fresh ingredients. Never heat the pesto sauce. Just toss in the drained pasta and you are done!

Rocket leaves are a great addition to your diet since it offers several health benefits. Crisp, crunchy with a hint of peppery taste, it is low in calories and very nutritious with many vitamins and minerals - Vitamin C, Vitamin A and Vitamin K being the most prominent. Also known as Arugula, they are excellent to make fresh salads as well apart from making pesto. This pesto recipe is from the website here and is so simple and tasty that it is a must try!

Rocket Pesto Pappardelle - Recipe

(Source - Adapted from Taste.com.au)

Ingredients:

Pappardelle pasta - 400 gm
Rocket leaves - about 100 gm, washed, drained and roughly chopped
Basil leaves - 1/2 cup
Parmesan cheese - 1/3 cup, grated
Extra virgin olive oil - 1/2 cup
Toasted walnuts - 1/3 cup
Toasted pine nuts - 2 tbsp and few for garnish
Garlic - 1 small clove
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water as per the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
To make the pesto, blend together the rocket leaves, basil, parmesan cheese, garlic and nuts till they are finely chopped. Then as they are being ground slowly drizzle the extra virgin olive oil till they come together as a thck, coarse paste or sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the pesto to the cooked pasta and toss well till each pasta is well coated with the sauce. Garnish with some grated parmesan and pine nuts. Serve warm.