Pesto Power

 The hot weather had returned and a recent weekend had yielded a warm evening slurping craft beer in a hipsters' paradise close to a fourteenth century tavern and the discovery of a jade insect that had appeared two weeks earlier than usual. Also some unexpected time on my hands last Sunday saw me emulate the late Duke of Windsor, who killed much spare time during his retirement by working hard in the garden. 

The fruits, or should that be herbs, spices and vegetables, of my labour in the garden yielded some homegrown chilis, rocket and basil. With the warm weather I elected to use these in a Mediterranean Pesto and Pasta Dish. 

The second of two 10cc supported Sedaka Albums was on the player in the shape of "The Tra-La Days Are Over" which was the straw that broke the camel's back in as far as shaking Sedaka's backing band out of their funk to form their own band and fly high with commercial success of their own. Recorded at the famous Strawberry Studios in Stockport, it's hard to believe this very listenable and commercial pop offering came out of the same studios that around six years later yielded Joy Division's bleak and iconic masterpiece "Unknown Pleasures". 

This dish is a simple and filling one to make and the ingredients are as follows:

200 grams of Cherry Tomatoes cut into halves.

2 dried homegrown Chili Peppers, diced. 

3 fresh homegrown Basil Leaves.

4 fresh homegrown Rocket Leaves plus extra to garnish. 

A pinch of Black Pepper

0.1 litres of Sunflower Oil.

4 spheres of Tagliatelle. 

200 grams of Halloumi cut into cubes.

5 tablespoons of tap water. 

Pine Nuts to garnish.

The way to make this dish is as follows:

1. Blend the Tomatoes, Chili Peppers, Sunflower Oil, Tap Water, Rocket, Black Pepper and Basil in a food processer until they are pureed into a Pesto Mixture. 

2. Add the Halloumi and Pesto Mixture to a Le Cresceut Dish and warm through on a low heat for about fifteen minutes.

3. Boil the Tagliatelle for fifteen minutes while the Pesto Mixture is cooking, drain and then mix with the Pesto.

4. Once the Tagliatelle and Pesto is stirred together, serve it with a garnish of homegrown Rocket and some pine nuts. 

This dish is light yet has a rich taste offset by the freshness of the Rocket and Chilli Peppers.