Baked Pesto Chicken

It’s already March and I still haven’t put up a pesto recipe! That’s Pesto Blasphemy in my books. You all know my heart skips a beat when I talk about Pesto. Every time I see good basil leaves in the market, I’m rushing home to make pesto. Because of my obsession with it, my friend even ribs me and asks me when I’m making pesto ice cream?! The flak I receive for my addiction, has led me restrain myself from spamming the blog with all things Pesto! BUT this recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen is so easy and so brilliant and tastes so Ah-maze-ing that I had to share.

This recipe requires no prepping or marinating and it’s ready in under 40 minutes. It’s also way healthier than a sauté/ pan fried option. The olive oil in the pesto is all you need to moisten and bake this baby. I must have made this innumerable times just because it looks so impressive when you plate up. I’ve bookmarked this one, to churn out something fabulous when guests arrive unannounced. Yes, we all want to be Domestic Goddesses with a sexy British twang ‘a la Nigella’ at the end of the day!

Bruschetta a la Italia - Red, White and Green

This appetizer is so packed with flavor and color and taste, that it’s always a hit at a party. It doesn’t even need any cooking! So if you want to impress with minimal effort and maximum style – this is the one for you. I call it ‘a la Italia’ because once I assembled it, I realized that it had Red, White and Green. I was giggling away to myself very bemused, that an Italian dish must encompass the colors of the Italian flag – hence the christening.

Bruschetta (bru-sket-ta) is a very popular starter to an Italian meal. Though many people assume that bruschetta is bread topped with tomato and Basil and olive oil (that’s a popular topping), it is actually just roasted/ toasted bread rubbed with garlic and some olive oil. You can top this up with interesting combinations and have a fun start to a meal. I always have Pesto and Sun Dried tomatoes at home, so this combo was a no breezer for me. I also picked up some lovely bocconcini (mini mozzarella balls) to top it all off. So without further adieu, I give you Bruschetta a la Italia.

Bruschetta with Pesto, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Prep time: 10 mins

Serves 6

What you need:

1 French Baguette/ Ciabatta, sliced horizontally (about 12 slices)

4 Tbsp Pesto

4 Sun dried tomatoes, sliced

6 Bocconcini Balls, sliced

¼ cup Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

What to do:

Slice the baguette and toast till a light golden brown. Rub with a clove of garlic and drizzle some olive oil on top. Now spread some pesto on it. Top with sun dried tomato slices and bocconcini. Season with Salt and Pepper. Serve with aplomb!

Potato and Sausage Soup with Pesto

I resisted for a whole month. I did. Honest. Everyone says I make too many dishes with pesto in it. But…. I love Pesto! And how could I not start the New Year with another way to use the glorious green?! This time I added it to a soup. And not just any soup – the quintessential soup for the manly man. The meat and potatoes soup! It’s technically a main course, but since it’s eaten out of a soup bowl (albeit a rather large one) we’ll still call it soup. As with all things creamy and filled with carbs and meat – this is a hearty one. Meditate on the word – Hearty. It dosen’t just mean ‘filling’, it means something that will make you all loving and giving once you’ve eaten it. Seriously, have you ever seen someone deprived of Carbohydrates? Bitchy bitchy. But not with this soup … all the nastiness just melts into the bowl. Don’t believe me? Try wolfing down a bowl of this and go take a look in the mirror. Did you see the contented smile plastered across your face? There. (Atleast you’ll be an epitome of goodness till dinnertime.) Saving the world darling, that’s what I do best …

Potato and Sausage Soup with Pesto

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 40 mins

Serves: 4 as main course

What you need:

4 large Sausages (I used Chicken franks)

3-4 Tbsp Pesto (click here for recipe or use store-bought Pesto)

4 large/ 450 gms Potatoes

3 Onions, chopped

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Butter

2 ½ cups Chicken Stock

2 ½ cups Milk

100 gms dried Pasta (macaroni/ conchigliette/ spirali – any small shape)

2/3 cup Cream

Parsley, chopped – to garnish

What to do:

Par Boil and keep aside – potatoes and sausages. Peel and chop the potatoes into bite sized pieces. Chop the sausages as well – I prefer franks as they hold their shape in the soup. Heat olive oil and butter in a pan and fry the chopped onions for 4 mins, till cooked but not coloured. Add the stock and milk to the pan, bring to the boil. Toss in the potatoes and sausages and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet and drain and keep aside. Blend in the cream into the simmering stock and simmer for 5 mins. Add the parsley and pesto (I like 4 Tbsp for a nice pesto hit) and combine well. Check seasoning and then adjust for taste with salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Fold in the cooked pasta and heat through for 2-3 mins.

Transfer the soup to individual serving bowls and serve with some freshly grated parmesan and garlic bread.

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Sandwich

Why oh why do I gravitate towards recipes with pesto in it? a. What I thought was a chutney couple of years ago is now my favorite condiment. (Apart from Maggi Hot and Sweet sauce – you will always be my first love!). b. It has the most wonderful fresh flavor that can bring summertime running in! This one uses store bought pesto (for small quantities, making a whole batch seems unnecessary), but you can always use my Pesto recipe if you have the ingredients at hand. Sandwiches are looked upon as a snack in India but this one has enough going on for it to make it a light lunch. The co-resident said he would pay good money to eat this at a Deli, so I’m guessing it was good. Actually it WAS that good! So get your grill pan out (I bought a gorgeous one from Bergner… good definition) and start grilling. Yes, I don’t have a BBQ (sob sob) but beggars can’t be choosers or rather apartment dwellers can only dream of the joys of an open fire! But rest assured the grilling works rather well on the pan and if you want the grill lines to be prominent just keep a weight on the object to be grilled to push it down. Scar face would have been proud!

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Sandwich

Prep time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serves: 4 as a snack, 2 for lunch

What you need:

8 slices of Bread or 4 Panini Rolls

1 Chicken Breast fillet

2 cups Lettuce or rocket leaves

4 Tbsp Pesto

4 Tbsp Mayo

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Oil for grilling

What to do:

Lightly brush or spray a chicken fillet with oil, season with salt and pepper. Place on a BBQ or heated grill pan on the stove and cook over medium heat for 4-5 mins per side (depending on the thickness) till cooked. For more definition of the grill lines, press down with a weight. When pricked with a fork, the juices should run clear and the chicken must be opaque. Keep aside and slice the breast into pieces of ½ inch thickness.

Spread a Tbsp of Mayo on one slice. Place a generous quantity of lettuce on the other. Top with the grilled chicken breast and a Tbsp of Pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Sandwich together. I think this tastes best when the sandwich is toasted. (You can use a sandwich maker/ tava or grill pan.) Lightly spray the grill pan with some oil and press the sandwich down for about a 45 seconds per side till it looks golden and toasty. Hmmm….Yummy yummy yummy!

P.S. I really like the new Cooking Sprays. It’s slightly expensive but delivers the right amount of oil to coat the pan/ meat while grilling. You can always use a basting brush, but how fun is using an aerosol can?!

Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto

This one is inspired by the Pasta Salad that I have in Café Max every single time I go there. One rainy day I was craving for it, but the car was out of commission and there’s no way I was going to hail a rickshaw and pay triple! After pacing up and down the hall swinging between ordering something else or hailing the hell ride, I decided to make it myself. I generally have readymade pesto in the fridge for just such emergencies, but today was one of those days. Ok, no problem, I’ll whip up my failsafe Pesto. I opened the fridge to realize I also didn’t have Basil at home. Pesto without basil? Was I going to lose this battle? Necessity is the mother of all inventions. Cilantro looked like a good substitute for Basil (Ok, it was leafy and green, beats using a carrot!). The problem with cilantro though is it reminds me of Chutney. So after I wrestled the idea out of my mind, I finally got mixing. I must tell you that I was pleasantly surprised. The result was a fantastic light salad!

Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto

Prep time: 20 mins

Serves: 4 small portions/ 2 large portions

 

What you need:

 

½ portion Pesto Recipe (click here) (Please substitute Cilantro for Basil)

2 cups cooked Pasta

1 onion, chopped

2 Tomaoes, seeds removed and chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

What to do:

Make ½ portion of the Pesto Sauce according to my fabulous recipe ;) Don’t forget to substitute Cilantro for Basil. Or you can use the basil as well and then it will be a regular Pesto salad. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and drain.

Now is the simple bit. Just toss all the ingredients together. Make sure the pesto coats everything. Drizzle with some extra olive oil and grate some more parmesan if required. Stuff your face blissfully.

Too good to be true Pesto

 What would you say, if I told you that I had the best Pesto recipe ever??!! Impossible right, cause I’m not even Italian, nor can I trace any of my roots to that hallowed land of food. (Ya, sometimes I dream I was Italian, eating their food everyday … bliss, bliss.) But I DO have the best pesto recipe. The result of trial, error, trial, error, consultation of many books and amalgamation of the best tips from the net – I give to you – Too Good to be True Pesto. I can’t even tell you it kicks store bought pesto’s ass because that would be like comparing a diamond to a piece of coal! I’m not claiming its authentic, I’m not even claiming that its by the book, but what it is, is heavenly green awesomeness that I could wrap my tongue around and ride off into the sunset with! Am I getting carried away? No, No, No… when you’ve found the holy grail of pesto’s wouldn’t you be shouting it out from the mountain tops? Here’s to my beloved Pesto – I love you, I do.  

Too Good to be True Pesto

Prep time: 20 mins

Cooking time: Nil

Serves: 4 (for pasta)

What you need:

1/3 cup Pine Nuts/ Almonds (I like Almonds better)

2 cups fresh Basil leaves, finely packed

1/3 cup Olive Oil (good quality)

4 cloves Garlic (med)

1/3 - 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

40 gms Butter, softened

1/2 - 3/4th Tbsp Sea Salt, depending on taste
Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

What to do:

Place almonds in a dry pan, stir under moderate heat till lightly toasted. Or microwave for 1 min, stir in-between once. Place in a food processor and give it a whir till you get small pieces. Add basil leaves, garlic and sea salt. Process for 20 secs or until you can still see micro mini pieces of the basil leaves. DO NOT process till pasty. For best results I would use a mortar and pestle, but on busy days the processor can be used intelligently. Transfer to a bowl. Add parmesan cheese, butter and pepper. Mix well. Now here’s the best bit - add ½ the olive oil and mix with the pesto. The remaining oil can be poured on top of the pesto. This protects the green color. Now sit and admire!

To serve with Pasta: Drain 500 gms of cooked pasta, (I’ve used whole wheat spaghetti) add the prepared pesto. (I go by three tsps per serving). Toss with more Olive Oil if required. Serve immediately. Sprinkle extra parmesan if you want to indulge.

Note: Pesto sauce can be made in large quantities for later use. It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to a week (covering it with a thin layer of olive oil preserves the color) if you keep in a glass jar with a well fitting lid.
If you want it to last longer, avoid mixing in the butter (as the butter can turn rancid). You can always mix in some fresh butter just before serving.

Pesto can also be stored in the freezer and will retain its color and flavor. Thaw in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before use.