trying to make the most of my time off, i have been trying to balance my time at the beach with a little cooking and baking. yesterday, i baked oatmeal blueberry cookies and for dinner, i made chicken pesto. in the backyard, we have so much fresh basil that had yet to be used- rather than leaving it for the bugs, i wanted to take advantage of what we had and make a fresh pesto.
what you need
food processor
one large frying pan
one large pot
the recipe
6 cups of fresh basil (not pressed down)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese *
1/4 cup pine nuts*
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
two pinches of salt [to taste]
two pinches of pepper [to taste]
one box of pasta of choice (i used a thinner spaghetti)
one pack of thinly sliced chicken breast (about 5 pieces)
the possible adjustments for taste
pesto is all about finding the right balance of ingredients that works for your taste, so keep that in mind!
instead of parmesan, you can also use romano cheese for a stronger taste
if you have a nut allergy, you can omit the pine nuts all together
for added flavor, you can also add sundried tomato to the mix
the cooking
toast the pine nuts lightly in a pan over low heat. set aside.
using the same pan, grill the chicken using a bit of olive oil and seasoning only with black pepper. once grilled, use a knife and fork to pull the chicken into small pieces. set aside.
in the food processor, combine the fresh basil, olive oil, cheese, garlic and pine nuts [setting aside a small amount for garnish]. pulse until all ingredients are well blended. add salt and pepper to taste.
boil the pasta. once boiled and strained, set aside momentarily. in the large pot where you grilled the chicken, add some olive oil and the shredded chicken to reheat. add the pesto and stir. add the pasta a little at a time. continue to stir until the sauce and chicken are evenly distributed. use the pine nuts set aside for garnish. you can also choose not to mix the pesto in with the pasta and instead spoon the sauce over pasta.
makes 4 servings [with enough leftover for seconds for one person, or one packed lunch!]
you can also use this pesto as a spread over toasted baguette, or even a baked potato.
yesterday, we also figured out why our chives weren't growing in...
enjoy!
j
what you need
food processor
one large frying pan
one large pot
the recipe
6 cups of fresh basil (not pressed down)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese *
1/4 cup pine nuts*
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
two pinches of salt [to taste]
two pinches of pepper [to taste]
one box of pasta of choice (i used a thinner spaghetti)
one pack of thinly sliced chicken breast (about 5 pieces)
the possible adjustments for taste
pesto is all about finding the right balance of ingredients that works for your taste, so keep that in mind!
instead of parmesan, you can also use romano cheese for a stronger taste
if you have a nut allergy, you can omit the pine nuts all together
for added flavor, you can also add sundried tomato to the mix
the cooking
toast the pine nuts lightly in a pan over low heat. set aside.
using the same pan, grill the chicken using a bit of olive oil and seasoning only with black pepper. once grilled, use a knife and fork to pull the chicken into small pieces. set aside.
in the food processor, combine the fresh basil, olive oil, cheese, garlic and pine nuts [setting aside a small amount for garnish]. pulse until all ingredients are well blended. add salt and pepper to taste.
boil the pasta. once boiled and strained, set aside momentarily. in the large pot where you grilled the chicken, add some olive oil and the shredded chicken to reheat. add the pesto and stir. add the pasta a little at a time. continue to stir until the sauce and chicken are evenly distributed. use the pine nuts set aside for garnish. you can also choose not to mix the pesto in with the pasta and instead spoon the sauce over pasta.
makes 4 servings [with enough leftover for seconds for one person, or one packed lunch!]
you can also use this pesto as a spread over toasted baguette, or even a baked potato.
yesterday, we also figured out why our chives weren't growing in...
enjoy!
j
