Spinach Pesto - Penne Pasta

Pasta: Bring water to a boil in a big pot and add Salt, 1 tsp Olive Oil, 4 cups of Penne Pasta and cook over medium flame for 10-12 minutes until al dente. Drain and reserve ½ cup of Water for later. Run pasta under cold water to keep the pasta separate.

Spinach Pesto: Boil water, add Salt, chopped medium bunch of Spinach and blanch for a minute and immediately run cold water over it. Blend spinach with ¼ cup of fresh Parsley, ¼ cup of Pine Nuts / Walnuts, 2-3 tbsp of grated Parmesan Cheese (optional), 2 Garlic Pods, 1 tsp of freshly ground Pepper, 3-4 tbsp of Olive Oil, Juice of ½ Lemon and Salt to taste in to a slightly coarse sauce. If needed, add some strained spinach water to ease grinding.

Bechamel Sauce: Heat 3 tbsp of Butter / Olive Oil in a pan on medium flame. Add ¼ cup of All Purpose Flour and whisk immediately until it forms a smooth paste. Now slowly add 300 ml of Hot Milk and whisk continuously until you get a smooth uniform mixture. Cook it for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell of the mixture goes away by stirring it continuosly. Season it with enough Salt, Pepper Powder, Ground Nutmeg and mix well.

Final Pasta: Heat 3 tbsp Olive Oil in a wide bottomed pan and fry sliced 4-5 Garlic Pods until slight brown and crisp and add thinly sliced big Onion and fry until they are pink and soft. Now add 12 sliced Mushrooms, a finely chopped Carrot and cook until tender. Add the spinach pesto sauce, bechamel sauce and mix well. Add ¼ cup reserved pasta liquid if required to get a medium sauce consistency. Add cooked pasta and mix well until all the pasta is covered with the sauce and is warm. Now add 1 tsp of Red Chili Flakes, 1 tsp of Italian Herbs, Salt, Pepper and mix well.Dish it out to the serving platter and sprinkle 2 tbsp of Parmesan Cheese over it. Garnish with 1 tsp of chopped Parsley.

Serve hot.

Note: You can even fill the pasta in a baking dish and cover with grated parmesan cheese (¼ - ½ cup) and cover it with a foil and bake it in oven @ 160 C for 20 minutes until the cheese melts. Serve it hot right from the oven.