As I have said in my earlier post, coriander is my all time favourite herb and this pesto is one of my favourite ways to enjoy it. It is zesty, garlicky, lemony and the chilli flakes add an incredible zing that make you want to bathe your tastebuds in it. This stuff is soooooo good, its addictive, and it is a bit dangerous as it can make everything else taste bland in comparison.

The best thing about it is that it’s extremely versatile. I have used this pesto successfully on plain pasta, on white fleshed fish, with prawns, and the simplest most indulgent way to enjoy it is on a toasted piece of sourdough bread, buttered with a vegan margarine and thickly spread with this pesto. I think this pesto would work very well with chicken and i personally cannot wait to stuff button mushrooms with it on the barbecue yummoooo

I hope you enjoy experimenting with this pesto. From my family to yours, happy cooking xx

Ingredients

For the pesto
2 bunches fresh coriander (stems and leaves)
100 g sliced almonds, lightly toasted
3 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup olive oil (could require more)
salt to taste

For the prawn linguine
400g frozen prawns
250 g linguine (or your preferred pasta)

Method

Start by making the pesto

1. Combine all the ingredients for the pesto in a blender or a in a jug if using a hand held blenders
2. Blend until smooth, drizzling in the olive oil – adding more to achieve the desired consistency. I like to maximise the flavour by minimising the oil used

3. Adjust the salt to your taste

Making the pasta

1. Marinate the prawns by taking 2 tablespoons of the pesto and mixing it with the prawns as they thaw and in the meantime boil the pasta in salted water

2. Heat a pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil, and when very hot, put the prawns in the pan and saute until they begin to turn pink

3. Create a hotspot in the middle of the prawns and place the rest of the pesto, with about a ladleful of the pasta water to soften the mixture

4. add the cooked linguine and stir to combine

5. Serve immediately!

Happy cooking all xx