Pesto sauce

Here is a recipe for the famous pesto sauce. This goes very well on any type of pasta, pizzas and can also be used as a marinade for non-veg dishes

Ingredients
3 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts (commonly known in India as Chilgoza. They look like pista seeds without the skin and are generally greenish in colour)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated

Method
1. Peel the garlic. Wash, dry and remove the stems from the fresh basil. Grate the cheese and set aside
2. Add the garlic to the food processor along with the basil leaves, chilgoza, and salt and pepper and run it on low
3. While the processor is running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until all the ingredients are pureed. If needed, use a spatula to scrape the sides of the jar and if it is too thick add a tbsp or two of water, but not more
4. Once all the ingredients are pureed, add the grated cheese and mix well
5.Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. This generally keeps for 2 - 3 days in the fridge but if you want to keep it longer, freeze it

White sauce

This is a very easy sauce, good for beginners, and is done pretty quickly too. Remember that unlike tomato basil sauce, this cannot be stored and needs to be used immediately

Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
4 big cloves of grated garlic
2 cups of milk
2 tsps maida
1 tsp each of oregano and thyme
Red chilli flakes to taste. If you don't prefer red chilli, coarsley ground pepper can also be used
3-4 tbsps of grated cheddar cheese (optional)
3 tbsps dairy cream (malai) (optional)

Method
1. Heat butter in a pan
2. Add grated garlic sauté for a minute
3. Once it’s done add the maida and sauté for a few seconds. Do not let it turn brown.
4. Turn off the heat and add milk slowly, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. In case lumps appear, use a hand blender to blend the mixture till smooth
5. Place back on simmer and stir continuously till it starts thickening. Once the mixture starts thickening add oregano, thyme, salt, pepper powder and red chilli flakes/crushed pepper
6. Add grated cheese and cream and mix once. Pour on pasta or vegetables and serve hot

Tomato basil sauce

Here are some easy to make pasta sauces, which if done properly, taste as good as the bottled ones sold in stores. Pennes / Rigatoni pastas taste better with the sauces as they have holes,the sauces and spices get coated inside

Ingredients
4 big tomatoes blanched (cooked in boiling water for a minute, enough to loosen the skin for it to be peeled), peeled and diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 large onion minced
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. In large saucepan, cook tomatoes and basil over medium-low heat until tomatoes are soft
2. Meanwhile, in medium skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.
3. Add onion mixture to tomato mixture and add salt and pepper. Let simmer on low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to ensure that the sauce does not stick to the pan or until thick.

You can always increase the ingredients to make additional sauce as this can be stored in the fridge for upto a month