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Most of us have our go-to recipes, be it for
a mid-week lunch, a dinner party pleaser or
a sumptuous cake that Nigella Lawson would
be proud of. In case you’re stuck in a food
rut, however, here are some of our readers’
fail-safe recipes from around the world to add
to your repertoire.
Bon appétit!
DINNER
This dish is a family favourite that
we often serve when we have friends
visiting or extended family gatherings.
Being vegetarian, it is a great please-all
dish and is also very satisfying.
PESTO ALLA GENOVESE
Zander Ng,
Australian and Singaporean
“A lot of my inspiration for food and my
style of cooking comes from my
nonna
(grandmother) in Varese, Italy.”
Ingredients
•
4 cups fresh basil leaves
•
½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 garlic clove
•
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
cheese
•
30g (about 2 tablespoons) toasted pine nuts
•
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
•
1 or 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut
roughly into 2cm chunks
•
100g green beans, cut into 4cm lengths
•
500g dried or fresh linguine pasta
Directions
1.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the
boil. In a food processor, blend the garlic
clove and pine nuts until smooth. Add the
sea salt, basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano and a
tablespoon of the olive oil, then process for
a few seconds until the basil is chopped.
2.
Add the remaining oil in a steady stream
with the processor still running. Transfer
the pesto to a bowl and set aside. (The
pesto can be made one day in advance;
keep it refrigerated in an airtight container.)
3.
Add the pasta to the boiling water. After two
minutes, add the potatoes. Add the green
beans three minutes before draining the
pasta. The idea is to get the consistency
of the potatoes a little soft and the green
beans still with a bit of bite. The pasta
should be al dente.
4.
Drain pasta, potatoes and green beans,
reserving ¼ of a cup of the cooking liquid.
5.
In a large bowl, toss pasta with pesto.
Add a little of the reserved cooking liquid
if pasta seems too dry. Serve immediately
with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
RECIPE
SWAP
THE GREAT