Creamy Spinach tossed Spaghetti

You know what I realised recently?
I enjoy home entertaining. It's fun planning a menu and listing out ingredients and cooking for people.We recently had a little lazy afternoon lunch and cocktails thing at home and this spaghetti was one of the dishes I made. When I started cooking I didnt really have a recipe in mind for the spaghetti but I think this came together pretty well.

 You can serve it as a main or a small portion as a warm salad, works well both ways. Anyway, it was such a hit that all the entire bowl was over by the end of the evening and I had'nt managed to get a single photo.
So the next morning, I made another batch and packed it up with a few plates and props to get a few nice photos in what was the last of the sunny days.
                                                       Let me tell you a little secret.......

                                                          Ive fallen in love with basil.
 It can completely turn a dish around.The one thing you have to be careful of though, is not to add it too early in the cooking process otherwise it turns black and looks limp.
It's best to add in at the very end, or if the food has to be reheated for service at a later stage then add it at that time !!
Many people tend to confuse Tulsi with basil, however although they are closely related their tastes are very different. Basil used in Italian cooking, is a little sweeter while tulsi has an overpowering sort of spicy taste to it.

We went to the local YMCA and quickly snapped a few shots before being shooed out by the watchman.
Hmpfh.

Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. I'm slowly getting more confident with this. :) Whaddya think?


Creamy Spinach tossed Spinach

Spaghetti            200 gms
Spinach leaves   200gms(washed)
Garlic                   30gms
Onion                   20gms
Fresh Cream         50ml
Fresh Basil              5gms
Cheese                 (optional)
Olive oil                  20 ml
Salt                        to taste
Black pepper(crushed or powder) to taste

Method:

• Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water, till aldente. Blanch the whole spinach leaves in salted water and set aside.
• Chop the garlic finely and slice the onions. Drain out as much water as possible from the spinach and roughly chop it up with a knife.
• In a pan, heat up the olive oil on med. heat. Add in the garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add in the onion, and cook till it begins to sweat/becomes transparent.
• Next, add in the chopped spinachand saute for a few minutes. Pour in the fresh cream and stir to seperate the spinach.
• Finally, add in the cooked and drained spaghetti and gently toss or stir it to evenly coat it with the spinach mixture. Sprinkle the cheese and season.
• Add the basil leaves and give it a final stir.
• Serve hot :)