Cilantro-mint pesto pasta

Pasta and macaroni Italian cuisine

I adore cilantro chutney - that green sauce that just about every Indian restaurant will serve with samosas or papad. It is the completely balanced combination of herbal and tangy with a bit of heat that wins me over every time in this condiment. I love the flavor of this sauce so much I wanted to expand its uses and thought of developing it into a pesto that could work on pizza, pasta, and even all dressed up as an hors d'oeuvre on crostini. You can make it in less than 10 minutes in the food processor and it keeps a week in the fridge. Traditional Italian pesto uses pine nuts but I thought peanuts would work better with the Indian flavors here. I tried it with the addition of ginger and garlic and without - and preferred it without so the cilantro and mint really sing uninterrupted. The addition of the tangy spice blend, chaat masala, adds a depth of dimension to the dish. you can find chaat masala at Indian markets or even online. <br />I tossed the pesto with some fusili pasta, shredded roast chicken, roasted red bell pepper and red onion for a simple dish that is packed with flavor.