Macroni salad and potato wedges

A blend of spices, herbs  and freshly plucked greens from garden for today's lunch. We tried making fresh pesto sauce at home with all homegrown ingredients, it tastes good. I have reduced the quantity of marconi as I tried to add more fresh vegetables to the dish. It's a summer treat for children. Do try, share and comment.

Pesto sauce

A handful of basil leaves

6-7 almond

Salt as required

2 tablespoons of olive oil

7 to 8 Peppercorns crushed

6 to 7 spinach leaves

1/2 tsp Dried Oregano

1 pinch Chilli powder

Method

*Grind all ingredients together, without water in a mixer jar.

*Mix the pesto sauce with cooked macroni. 

Adjust salt.

Macroni salad

Ingredients

2 handfuls of macroni or pasta

2 large tomatoes

1 onion

1 bell pepper (any colour,I have used green)

15 black olives

A handful of freshly plucked red amaranth and radish leaves/ or any greens available with you.

1 tbsp olive oil

Method

* Boil water add two handfuls of macroni. Cook it until soft, drain water, keep aside.

*Wash and chop tomatoes and bell pepper.

*Wash and thinly chop greens, mint and coriander leaves.

* Peel and thinly slice onion.

* Peel garlic and tap using kitchen knife, so that it release it's flavour.

*In a kadai pour olive oil add onion and garlic, chopped greens, saute for few minutes, add tomatoes and bell pepper, mix in. Off stove

*Add a little salt, we are going to add tiny cubes of cheese which are obviously salty.

* Blend in pesto sauce and cooked macroni.

*Add macroni to sautéed veggies. Give a toss, add a few black olives. Gently mix everything to a refreshing salad.

*The crunchy nutty almonds, flavour from fresh basil and oregano  gives that refreshing taste to this salad.

*Serve with potato wedges, mint lemon juice and boiled eggs.

Potato wedges

Ingredients

6 large potatoes, wash and cut into large stripes

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp pizza seasoning

1 tsp garlic bread seasoning

10 garlic cloves

Salt as required

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

Method

*Wash and cut potatoes into large wedges

*Pour oilve oil into baking tray, add potatoes, add rest of the ingredients, give a toss, make sure all potato pieces are coated with the seasoning.

*Pre heat oven 225 degrees and bake for about 25 minutes,or until all the pieces are well roasted.

*Serve with macroni salad.

*The flavour from garlic and other seasoning make the potato wedges really yum! I have used large potatoes, children are going to really feast on them!!