This pasta has no particular name. Its spaghetti with green beans, potatoes in a pesto sauce. It's quite a well known combination, so I'm surprised that I couldn't find a name. But there must be some fancy Italian term for it.
I was in charge of lunch today. It was very very last minute. Mum was busy in the hospital and we came back from church starving. So, I raided the fridge and made this. It was only after I finished cooking, that I found some pain tomato pasta sauce in the fridge, which would have shortened the cooking time if I had found it earlier. Oh well!
So. This, I think is one of my all time favourites. It was the first time I made it and turned out a bit different to my Mother's.
Boil/pressure cook 4 potatoes. If you can get new potatoes (the small ones with thin skin) even better, but they're a headache to peal if the skin is not thin enough to leave on! Chop 250g of green beans into roughly 3inch lengths. Harricot beans are best to use, but today we only had French beans- ok, but usually not as tender and tasty. Plus you have to string them. Boil for a few minutes till tender, or put into water and in the microwave for about 8 minutes. Make sure they are tender; nothing like chewy hard beans.
In a pan, add 3 tbsps of olive oil. Fry one chopped onion and 6 cloves of chopped garlic. Add 2 tsps of dried sage, 1/2 tsp of pepper and salt to taste (I keep saying 'to taste' because I am so bad at putting the right amount. Always too little or way too much!!) Fry till nicely brown. Add 5 tbsps of pesto. I usually use homemade, but there wasn't any. Second option would be bought basil pesto, but there wasn't any. Found a bottle of rocket pesto- Good, but not as good as basil pesto. Also add half a tub (100g) of cream cheese. This is the first time we've ever bought it here- Brittania processed cream cheese. Its not cheap. I didn't expect it to be so thick. Was expecting it to be more like creme fraiche. Also add 200ml of milk, since it was a bit thick. Stir away till it's a nice creamy sauce.
Lastly add chopped up boiled potatoes and beans. Mix well and serve with spaghetti and some shavings of Parmesan.
Variation:
This is how my Mum makes it. I didn't know till after I finished.
-Add the boiled potatoes and beans and fry with the onions and garlic mixture. If at all, mine was the healthier option!
-Use only pesto and a bit of water as the sauce. She doesn't use the cream and milk. I guess, maybe mine wasn't the healthier one.
Either way, both taste good. :)
September 2011
I went out to Toscanos a few weeks ago. (click for their menu) I was so excited when I saw that a pasta with green beans and potatoes in a pesto sauce had an Italian name. So what I made should be titled Pesto Rinforzato Spaghetti.
I was in charge of lunch today. It was very very last minute. Mum was busy in the hospital and we came back from church starving. So, I raided the fridge and made this. It was only after I finished cooking, that I found some pain tomato pasta sauce in the fridge, which would have shortened the cooking time if I had found it earlier. Oh well!
So. This, I think is one of my all time favourites. It was the first time I made it and turned out a bit different to my Mother's.
Boil/pressure cook 4 potatoes. If you can get new potatoes (the small ones with thin skin) even better, but they're a headache to peal if the skin is not thin enough to leave on! Chop 250g of green beans into roughly 3inch lengths. Harricot beans are best to use, but today we only had French beans- ok, but usually not as tender and tasty. Plus you have to string them. Boil for a few minutes till tender, or put into water and in the microwave for about 8 minutes. Make sure they are tender; nothing like chewy hard beans.
In a pan, add 3 tbsps of olive oil. Fry one chopped onion and 6 cloves of chopped garlic. Add 2 tsps of dried sage, 1/2 tsp of pepper and salt to taste (I keep saying 'to taste' because I am so bad at putting the right amount. Always too little or way too much!!) Fry till nicely brown. Add 5 tbsps of pesto. I usually use homemade, but there wasn't any. Second option would be bought basil pesto, but there wasn't any. Found a bottle of rocket pesto- Good, but not as good as basil pesto. Also add half a tub (100g) of cream cheese. This is the first time we've ever bought it here- Brittania processed cream cheese. Its not cheap. I didn't expect it to be so thick. Was expecting it to be more like creme fraiche. Also add 200ml of milk, since it was a bit thick. Stir away till it's a nice creamy sauce.
Lastly add chopped up boiled potatoes and beans. Mix well and serve with spaghetti and some shavings of Parmesan.
Variation:
This is how my Mum makes it. I didn't know till after I finished.
-Add the boiled potatoes and beans and fry with the onions and garlic mixture. If at all, mine was the healthier option!
-Use only pesto and a bit of water as the sauce. She doesn't use the cream and milk. I guess, maybe mine wasn't the healthier one.
Either way, both taste good. :)
September 2011
I went out to Toscanos a few weeks ago. (click for their menu) I was so excited when I saw that a pasta with green beans and potatoes in a pesto sauce had an Italian name. So what I made should be titled Pesto Rinforzato Spaghetti.
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