Omelette with Betel Leaf Pesto

IMP - Omelette with Betel Leaf Pesto is an original recipe created by the blogger and has been published for the first time on oriyarasoi.com. 

After almost a decade, I am visiting my native in Western Odisha during the scorching summer. While I always time my visits to coincide with the pleasant weather prevalent during the months of October-November, circumstances dictated my travel plans this time. It is strangely comforting to be back in the midst of an oppressive heat wave that makes its presence felt even as early as daybreak and extends well into the late hours of the night. A train journey to this part of Odisha presents a stark contrast with the Coastal regions of the state which still has some greenery to boast. A landscape of yellowed, wilted, scorched and burnt vegetation stretches out for as long as one cares to look. Everything stands still and if at all the winds blow, they are hot enough to scald the skin.

Pakhala seems to be the only source of respite for most folks as the roads wear a completely deserted look during midday. But today's post is not about Pakhala. This one has been in the drafting stage for sometime as I had been tied up with a couple of things in the past weeks. A very daring and experimental recipe that involves making a pesto out of betel leaves, this is part of my efforts to add a touch of gourmet to everyday food. Getting the flavors of the pesto right is the toughest part of this recipe. One might just need to tweak the proportions of the pesto ingredients to adapt it to their taste-buds.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

For the pesto -

• 1/2 of 1 tender betel leaf
• a handful of coriander leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp lime juice ( or tamarind paste )
• 1 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Other ingredients -

• 2 eggs
• a few cherry tomatoes
• 2-3 betel leaves
• 2 pinch salt
• a few drops of oil

Preparation - Grind all the ingredients for the pesto into a coarse paste. Taste and modify the proportions of the coriander, sugar and lime to balance the acrid taste of the betel leaf.

 Cooking - Break the eggs into a bowl. Add a little salt and beat gently.

Heat a non stick frying pan . Smear with a few drops of oil.

Toss a few cherry tomatoes and sprinkle a little salt over them. Cook for 2-3 mins and then remove.

Pour the egg onto the same pan and spread it into an even layer. Cook on both without browning.

Remove and keep aside.

Spread a layer of the pesto on one half of the omelette and fold.

Serve on betel leaves along with the cherry tomatoes.

Spaghetti with Walnut-Spinach Pesto

Pasta is one among the ultimate comfort foods. Quick and almost effortless when you have one of the sauces stocked in the fridge. And just in case you were wondering what to do in the absence of the aforesaid option, there is always the very frugal 'Aglio E Olio' that one can turn to. For folks who believe in having a little more diversity in their pantry, there is yet another option. The whore's style pasta or pasta alla puttanesca is nothing but some olives, capers, anchovies and garlic thrown together.

One of my favorites among all the pasta recipes happens to be spaghetti tossed with some pesto sauce. And I have a lot of variety when it comes to the pesto. For one I believe in making mine at home and using it up within a week's time if not earlier. Recently, I got my hands on some fresh baby spinach and the first thing that came to my mind was a lovely verdant pesto sauce with some walnuts, garlic and peppercorns.

I decided to keep it vegan and skipped the Parmesan. To add a little texture to the whole thing, I added some roasted and slightly charred aubergine to it. A few shredded baby spinach leaves add the requisite crunch to this pasta. Overall, a simple and yet amazing recipe.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 150 gm spaghetti
• 3-4 mm thick aubergine slices 
• a fistful of baby spinach 
• 1 tsp olive oil

For the pesto -

• 1 cup tightly packed baby spinach
• 8-9 walnuts
• 3 fat garlic cloves
• 10-12 peppercorns
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2-3 pinch salt

Preparation - Coarsely grind all the ingredients for the pesto.

Add some salt to the aubergine slices and keep aside for 10-15 mins. Once it leaves the water, transfer to a baking tray .

Cooking - Boil 9-10 cups water in a saucepan. When bubbles begin to appear, add sufficient amount of salt to the water. Once it gets to a rolling boil, add the spaghetti.

Cook for 12 mins or till al-dente. Remove 2-3 tbsp of the water and add it to about 2-3 tsp of the pesto.

Drain the water in a colander, give it a good shake and toss back the spaghetti into the same vessel in which it was cooked.

Drizzle some olive oil on the aubergine slices. Roast at around 180-200 degrees in a pre-heated oven till they are lightly charred ( deep brown color ).

Add the diluted pesto and olive oil to the spaghetti. Toss to uniformly cover the spaghetti strands.

Finally add the roasted aubergine slices and shredded baby spinach. Give it a gentle shake.

Serve warm or cold.