Semi-dried Tomato Pesto Pasta with Shrimp

There's a reason it's called 'comfort food'. It's filling, it's delicious, and it's exactly what you need at the end of a hard day (or even, not-so-hard day).

This semi-dried Tomato Pesto Pasta with Shrimp is sure to bring a bit of comfort to those moments when cooking a nice meal is the last thing on your mind.

Here's what you need:
Following on from the Basil pesto base, with a slight twist...
1 1/2 cups picked basil leaves
1/2 cup of semi-dried tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup roasted walnuts
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
1 cup of quality extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

250g Pasta (any long pasta will do, I'm using spaghettini)
2 handfuls of fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined

Here's what you do:
Take your pasta and boil it in salted water until aldente. There is no need to put oil in the water - a common misconception to prevent the pasta from sticking. If you want your pasta to not stick together, keep stirring the pasta in the water during the first five minutes of boiling.

Mix all the pesto ingredients together in a food processor and blend until smooth. Take 2-3 tablespoons and place into a mixing bowl. The rest of the pesto can be refrigerated for a few months - just ensure a layer of olive oil covers the top.

Before the pasta becomes aldente, using a sieve, parboil the shrimp in the boiling water then drain and toss into the mixing bowl with the pesto.

Once the pasta becomes aldente, mix it together in the mixing bowl with the pesto and shrimp. Tip: don't drain the pasta before mixing. Using a pair of tongs, quickly remove the pasta from the water straight into the mixing bowl. The residual water helps make the pasta creamier in texture.

Pluck a few basil leaves and serve with alongside a light and fruity Pinot Noir from New Zealand!

What to do with Basil

It's been a few months now since I've blogged anything new here - but prepare for a flurry of activity! I'm back, and with a few recipes to share.

The rain over the past few months has been excellent for our new garden patch. It has benefited, in particular, our basil plants which have exploded!

With so much basil on offer there was only really one solution - pesto!

With compliments to Chef Kate Lamont of 'Nibblies with Kate', here is a slightly different version of her basil pesto base.

What you need:
3 cups picked basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup parmesan, grated
1 cup of quality extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

What you do:
Roast the walnuts in the oven until aromatic and toasted. Crush the garlic into a paste and process all the ingredients together in a blender or food processor.

It's a simple as that! One slight variation, which she suggests, is to reduce the basil to 1/2 cup and add semi-dried tomatoes to the process. The results are stunning to say the least.

The pesto mixes can be refrigerated in a jar for a few months - just ensure a thin layer of olive oil is on top to prevent the pesto from changing colour.

In the next few posts I'll discuss some variations to this basic recipe and what you can do with it.