Rigatoni with spearmint, lemon and Kefalotyri cheese pesto

A tasty pasta dish full of Greek flavours and aromas! Easy to make and very filling to enjoy during the hot months as a light lunch or main meal

Recipe of Dimitris Andreou

from "Cook Book" magazine of "TO ETHNOS" newspaper



Ingredients (for 4 people):

1 packet of rigatoni pasta

For the pesto:

3/4 tea-cup of olive oil

1 bunch of fresh spearmint, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, cut in halves

3 lemons, the juice + the zest out of the 2

100gr. of Greek Kefalotyri cheese, grated

salt

pepper

Method:

Boil the pasta in plenty of salted water according to your preference.

In a blender put the garlic and the olive oil and whiz for a few seconds and then successively add the spearmint, the juice and the zest of the lemons, salt and pepper and the cheese working until you end up with a well blended mixture. *** If you see that the blender has difficulties to run, add a little bit more of oil or lemon juice.

Drain the pasta in a colander, transfer back to the pot and mix well with the pesto.

Serve in warm plates, seasoning with some more pepper and garnishing with some Kefalotyri shavings on top.