Pesto Pasta

This is a pesto which is more dominated by the taste of the mushrooms rather than the pesto as is usual. The pesto is a very smooth one and does not contain any cheese.
It can be eaten cold, slightly warm or hot. Slightly warm is probably the best. Forgive lack of measurements but I tend to be wildly enthusiastic over garlic.

Ingredients

Garlic
Red Onions
Flat Mushrooms (e.g. Portabellini)
Sacla Chargrilled Aubergine Pesto
(optional) Cauldron Beech Smoked Tofu (or some sort of vegetarian sausage, e.g. frankfurter)

Pasta (we use Waitrose Organic Wholewheat Fusilli if we can get it)

(optional) pinch of italian herbs

Method

Start the pasta boiling and then race it to the finish...

Finely chop the garlic and onions.
Saute the onions, then when they are slightly translucent, add the garlic.
Chop the mushrooms into large pieces and add.
Add some black pepper, some salt (or can add salt afterwards) and a pinch of italian herbs if desired.
Let the mushrooms cook until water comes out of them.
Chop the tofu into 2cm squares and add to the mix so it heats up.

Strain the pasta when it is done and put it into a big mixing bowl (good to serve in this too so you don't have to transfer it). Add the sauted vegetables and the pesto and mix up.

Very good with some West Indian Pepper Sauce (what isn't?!)

Cough and Cold Comfort

Here is a West Indian traditional cold remedy but omitting the rum!

Chop up ginger (however much you like, but you could do about an inch to make a lot you can have all day) and put into a saucepan. Add two or three cloves, and a piece of cinnamon bark. Add water, bring to the boil and then simmer (or just turn it off and wrap a few towels around it so it stays hot and stews).

After a while, just take out some of the liquid, heat it, and sweeten it to taste (I don't sweeten mine any more which makes it more tooth friendly to be sipping all day), and then just sip away.

You might want to tone down the amounts if you find it tastes too strong.

I think its so virulently anti-bacterial I can't imagine anything living in it, so I don't worry about putting it in the fridge, but am happy to leave it out overnight and reheat some in the morning.

I've noticed my aunt making this (sometimes called Ginger Tea) to 'clear the air' after making curries. So there is often a pot of it on the stove and they drink it as a digestive.