As I have proclaimed here before…. I looovvveee pasta!
And my all time favorite pasta sauce is basil pesto.
But then I came across this creamy coriander pesto & now, I have a new favorite!
On a rainy evening, hubby & I were sipping coffee at our favorite cafe located down the street from our house. They have quite a versatile menu and I really love the place. One pasta sauce in there really caught my eye and I had to order it immediately. It was a spicy coriander and cashew sauce prepared in cream cheese and was served over Conchiglie (shell shaped) pasta.
The dish was so delectable that I had to replicate it at home with bit of a guesswork. Of course my version differed from theirs as I did not use cream cheese and did not add red chili flakes. But it was every bit as scrumptious if not better! Now would I lie to you? NO! So believe me 🙂
It is a pesto sauce so you have your usual suspects.. fresh herb, garlic and nuts!
The pesto has a fresh summery fragrance from fresh coriander and a rich texture from cashews. I used Farfalle pasta instead as that is what I had on hand.
You would be really surprised at how creamy it turned out and pretty low in calories too! Very delicate dish all in all! 🙂
So let’s get down to the recipe!
Farfalle with Fresh Coriander and Cashew Pesto
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 3 cups Farfalle pasta, cooked al dente as per the package direction
- 2 cups fresh coriander leaves (packed into measuring cup)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 1/3 cup cashews, soaked in water for 2-3 hours
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 cup hot milk and 1 cup hot water, mixed together
- 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (I omitted it)
Directions:
- Cook 2 cups of Farfalle pasta in salted boiling water as per the direction mentioned on the package. Once pasta has cooked al dente, drain the water and start preparing the sauce.
- Add coriander leaves, garlic cloves, soaked cashews, pinch of salt and 1/4 cup milk in a blender and blitz till you get a soft puree. Add little milk if required.
- In a pan, melt the butter and add flour to it. Let the flour cook for about 3-4 minutes on a low heat.
- Add hot milk and hot water mixture to the pan and whisk to make sure there are no lumps. Add grated cheese. Cheese will melt and mixture will thicken a bit in about 5 minutes.
- Add pureed coriander mixture in a pan and whisk. Season with salt and pepper as per your taste. Add red chili flakes if you want a hint of spice. Add pasta to this and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes so that pasta has absorbed the sauce. Serve immediately.
