Recipe of the Week: Grilled Shrimp with Basil Parsley Pesto

We are featuring a variety of Asian recipes for the month of September. We have Korean, Indian, Thai, and one special Singaporean recipe contributed by our friend, Nixon Khoo. Asian flavors are so distinct, and each geographical area boasts its own unique tastes. We hope you'll stay tuned for those. In the meantime, here's this week's recipe for grilled shrimp with pesto pasta.

Basil Parsley Pesto
You can make the pesto a couple of days ahead. Or make a bigger batch and freeze portions of the pesto in ice-cube trays for future use. In addition to pasta, pesto is also great over toasted baguette, and baked potatoes.

Ingredients
2 cups basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup flat Italian parsley, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan -Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts (walnuts will work too)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
salt and black ground pepper, to taste

Directions
Combine basil, parsley and pine nuts in food processor. Pulse a few times, add garlic and pulse more.
Add olive oil in a constant stream while food processor is on.
Add grated cheese; pulse to blend.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Grilled Shrimp and Pasta

Ingredients
1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined; marinate for 15 minutes with lemon juice and salt and pepper.
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut in half
12 oz. whole wheat fettuccine or linguine

Directions
Grill shrimp and red pepper. Slice red pepper when cooled. Set aside.
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Cook onion and tomatoes in olive oil until slightly soft. Stir in red pepper, pesto and pasta.  
Serve shrimp over pasta.