This one is inspired by the Pasta Salad that I have in Café Max every single time I go there. One rainy day I was craving for it, but the car was out of commission and there’s no way I was going to hail a rickshaw and pay triple! After pacing up and down the hall swinging between ordering something else or hailing the hell ride, I decided to make it myself. I generally have readymade pesto in the fridge for just such emergencies, but today was one of those days. Ok, no problem, I’ll whip up my failsafe Pesto. I opened the fridge to realize I also didn’t have Basil at home. Pesto without basil? Was I going to lose this battle? Necessity is the mother of all inventions. Cilantro looked like a good substitute for Basil (Ok, it was leafy and green, beats using a carrot!). The problem with cilantro though is it reminds me of Chutney. So after I wrestled the idea out of my mind, I finally got mixing. I must tell you that I was pleasantly surprised. The result was a fantastic light salad!
Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto
Prep time: 20 mins
Serves: 4 small portions/ 2 large portions
What you need:
½ portion Pesto Recipe (click here) (Please substitute Cilantro for Basil)
2 cups cooked Pasta
1 onion, chopped
2 Tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
What to do:
Make ½ portion of the Pesto Sauce according to my fabulous recipe 😉 Don’t forget to substitute Cilantro for Basil. Or you can use the basil as well and then it will be a regular Pesto salad. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and drain.
Now is the simple bit. Just toss all the ingredients together. Make sure the pesto coats everything. Drizzle with some extra olive oil and grate some more parmesan if required. Stuff your face blissfully.
The FoodPorn Diaries 
Ooh..Lets definitely try that! We'll call it mongrel pesto in your honour!
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swaps…some chef on a cooking show too made a coriander pesto…and i think he added a a bit of mint itself…so it was a mongrel kind of pesto..a cross between a regular pudina chutney and pesto…
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