Sunday 22 June 2008

Tortellini with Pesto and Black Olives










Serves: One
Prep: Ten minutes

Ingredients
:
1. Tortellini or pasta of your choice. Cook according to instructions on packet.
2. Two white or brown mushrooms – thickly sliced
3. Half a Spanish onion – minced coarsely
4. Few pieces of fresh basil, torn roughly (optional)
5. Three tablespoons or more of Pesto sauce of your choice
6. One or more tablespoons of tomato puree
7. A clove of garlic, sliced
8. Two tablespoon EVO
9. ¼ cup of light or heavy cream
10. Extra squirt of EVO over cooked tortellini (optional)
11. Salt and pepper
12. 8 black olives, sliced into rings

Method:
1. Heat pan and when pan is hot, add mushrooms. Pan fry mushrooms over high heat as they will exude water over low heat. When mushrooms are slightly brown, add onions, stir and fry well for about one minute, add garlic and fry for a further minute.
2. Add pesto and tomato puree, mix well with a spoon and fry over medium heat for another two minutes.
3. Lower heat, add cream, stir well and simmer gently for about five minutes. Add black olives and adjust seasoning. Leave to simmer gently for an additional two minutes.
4. If sauce is too dry, add more cream or hot water.
5. Serve hot with tortellini mixed with the pesto in the pan or top tortellini with pesto sauce.

Note:
You can cook more sauce to be used at a different time or spread on toasted bread as a snack

To serve as a snack, add about two tablespoons of EVO and four tablespoons of warm water to pesto. Stir well and heat up on low heat till heated through and serve with crusty bread.