Spagetti with mint and cashew pesto

                                                                                

I love pesto, I make my own pesto and now I prefer my pasta with pesto to tomato sauce. I made this one using mint leaves which I saw in a cookbook, unfortunately, I forgot the name, the book is back at home. In the original recipe, it had a mixture of mint and parsley and used walnuts and instead of spaghetti, they used penne. You will need : 

 1 cup fresh mint leaves 

a big handful of roasted, unsalted cashews ( or use walnuts if you like) 

1-2 red chillies (I know its a little crazy but it gives it a nice kick 

1/3 cup parmesan, grated

 Olive oil, lots of it (1/4 cup)

2 cloves garlic 

a tiny bit of salt and pepper 

Spaghetti  

 Method: 

 1. Place everything except for oil and salt in the processor, and process till everything is chopped up and mixed. 

 2. Pour oil through the funnel part if you have one, or just add the whole thing and pulse a couple of times, I know you are supposed to add from the side but this is how I do it. 

 3. Taste then add salt if necessary. 

 4. Store in a bottle in the fridge, it will keep for at least a week or two, but make sure you add a layer of oil to cover the top so it doesn't start moulding and discolour. 

 5. Cook pasta, this much pesto will make for about 4-5 person serving, so cook enough spaghetti in boiling salted water. 

 Drain and let it cool just a little, and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the pesto and a little drizzle of olive oil, and mix well till thoroughly coated with pesto. 

Why I use a separate bowl instead of the pot I cooked the pasta is that the cheese tends to melt and stick and turn all gooey. 

 If you don't have parmesan, use it without the cheese, it still tastes great.