Tagliatelle with Pesto and Chicken

You either love or hate pesto… Some people dislike the smell of basil… Pesto sauce great on it's own with any pasta… Throw in a source of protein and some vegetables and you have a nice meal… Here’s what I did for a quick dinner the other day… 

Season cubed chicken breast with some garlic, thyme, salt, black pepper… Then pan-fry in a little olive oil until golden brown and reserve…

Meanwhile, cook some tagliatelle until al dente, drain and add to a heated saucepan… Use 1-2 tblsp pesto per serving and toss well with the pasta… Add some warm water to the pesto to loosen the sauce… Serve on plate with chicken and parmesan shavings… Dinner is served!!!…

Cost/serving: RM3.10

Italian Classics I: Homemade Pesto

So… what is this greenish vibrant glop that you see above???… Introducing the lovely aromatic sauce originating from Northern Italy – Pesto!!!… The name comes from Italian pestâ, which means ‘to pound’ or ‘to crush’… Pesto is normally made of basil, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic & parmesan/romano cheese… Best thing about pesto – no cooking needed!!!…

You can easily purchase pesto in different variations from the supermarket… They are available in green (with herbs like basil or rocket) or red (with sun-dried tomato or bell pepper)… However I think these sauces are a bit pricey, often costing more than RM 15 for a small jar… Anyways, I seldom give in to bottled sauces when I can make from scratch… Pounding up your own homemade pesto can be expensive too, owing to the type of ingredients (especially basil & pine nuts) that go into into the green glop…

I recently discovered cheap organic basil @ Justlife (Gardens/Ikano)… I was delighted!!!… It’s amazing that these organic ones (50g for RM1.50)  are actually cheaper than those in most supermarkets (e.g. Jusco 50g for RM3.99)…

Here’s the recipe for pesto…

Homemade Pesto Sauce

Ingredients:

100g fresh basil, washed and shredded

125ml extra-virgin olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic

100g freshly grated parmesan cheese

30g pine nuts, lightly toasted

Pinch of salt & black pepper

Method:

Pound up basil and garlic with a pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar until basil is bruised (you can use a food processor but I think it tastes better pounding by hand). Add in pine nuts and continue pounding. Drizzle in olive oil. Remove mixture into a bowl and stir in cheese. Adjust seasoning. Use 1-2 tblsp of pesto per person

Note: You can substitute pine nuts with walnuts or cashew nuts. Another version of green pesto is to substitute basil for rocket and hazelnuts for pine nuts. You can refrigerate and freeze the sauce. Just leave out the cheese (cheese don’t freeze well) and add it in only when you eat. If refrigerating, add a layer of olive oil to prevent oxidation.

Serves 6-8

Cost/serving: RM1.20