Basil pesto...

Today I'm posting a very basic recipe, recipe for a pesto. The word pesto means something made by crushing or pounding. To many pesto is synonymous to basil pesto, but it can be any herb or ingredient.The most common known recipe for basil pesto involves Italian basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and salt. But thousands variations are there. Like I have used walnuts instead of pine nuts, the simple reason being pine nuts are very expensive and also difficult to find where I live. One can replace basil with spinach or coriander or some other green fresh herb. So basically it is a combination of green herb, nuts, olive oil, salt and cheese. Pesto is generally used as sauce for pasta. It can also be used as spread for sandwich, or as pizza sauce or as dip. I do love to have a spoonful of freshly made pesto, just like that.

Traditionally morter and pastle is used to make pesto. I have used a food processor to do the same. The basil I have used is homegrown. It is very easy to grow basil in Indian climate.

Things needed to make Basil Walnut Pesto:

• Basil: 4 cups
• Walnut: 1/2 cup
• Garlic: 2-3 cloves
• Parmesan cheese: 1/2 cup
• Extra virgin olive oil: 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup
• Salt to taste

Steps of making Basil Walnut Pesto:

1. In a food processor add walnut, garlic, cheese and salt, using the pulse mode finely chop all the ingredients. Gradually add the basil and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Blend until a smooth paste is formed.

2. With the blender running add the olive oil. Blend well so the olive oil emulsifies well with the paste. Add less olive oil if you are going to use the pesto for sandwich spread. Add more olive oil if you are going to use it as paste sauce.

3. Taste the pesto, add salt or cheese accordingly.

4. Pesto turns dark and takes a brown color if exposed to air. So immediately transfer to a sterilized glass jar, pour olive oil to cover the top. Close the jar and store in refrigerator for 7-8 days. Pesto can be frozen and store for months. I prefer to make fresh pesto as needed.

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Chicken marsala...

Whenever we visit Olive garden, the Italian restaurant, the man always orders Marsala for himself. So I was thinking to try my hand on that. I searched for the recipe of chicken marsala in the Internet, and to my surprise it is a very quick and easy dish one can make. Marsala is a simple Italian dish where sauteed chicken cutlets are served with mushroom and Marsala wine reduction sauce. In the restaurant they served it along with some potato wedges, I went for the potato wedges as well as some freshly made angel hair pasta. It was our last night dinner and we enjoyed it so much.

This button mushroom image is going to be my entry for "Color Me Photography Challenge Series". The month of June is for 'Color Me White Month'. I'm really excited to join this event. This wonderful event is hosted by Priya Elias of The Humpty Dumpty Kitchen.

Now back to the Chicken Marsala recipe.

Things needed to make Chicken Marsala:

(Recipe adapted from epicurious.com)

For the chicken cutlet:

• Chicken breast: 1
• All purpose flour: 1/4 cup
• Dried parsley: 1 tsp
• Salt
• Black pepper powder
• Butter: 1 tbsp
• Olive oil: 1 tbsp

For the Marsala sauce:

• Button Mushrooms: 100gm
• Shallots/red onion (very finely chopped): 1/4 cup
• Butter: 2 tbsp
• Marsala wine: 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp
• Chicken broth: 1 cup
• Heavy cream: 2-3 tbsp
• Dried parsley: 1 tsp

For pasta and potato wedges:

• Angel hair pasta
• EVOO: 1/2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper powder
• Green pea (blanched): 1/4 cup (optional)
• Fresh parsley chopped to garnish
• Potato cut into cubes with skin
• Oil to fry potato

Steps of making Chicken Marsala:

1. Wash and pat dry the chicken breast. Cut the chicken breast into two equal halves. From a single breast piece you can make 2 servings.

2. Cover the chicken breast pieces with cling film and gently pound with the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin.

3. Season the chicken pieces with salt, black pepper and dried parsley, on both sides.

4. Take all purpose flour on a flat tray or plate, dredge the chicken pieces with the flour.

5. In a flat pan heat butter and olive oil, shallow fry the chicken pieces to red-brown color. Drain excess oil and keep it on paper towel lined plate.

6. Keep the cooked chicken on a hot oven to keep it warm.

7. On the same pan add more butter and oil, add chopped onion. Cook till the onion turn red-brown in color. Add sliced mushrooms. Cook for 4-5 min. Add chicken broth and cook over high heat for 3-4 min. Add wine and heavy cream and cook till the sauce reduces to thick. Switch off heat, add extra 1 tbsp Marsala wine to the sauce and mix well.

8. While the sauce is getting ready, cook pasta according to the directions on packet. But never wash the cooked pasta. Toss the pasta with EVOO, salt and black pepper powder. Add blanched green pea, if using.

9. Fry the cubed potato till evenly browned. Keep the skin of the potato.

10. Place the pasta and the chicken cutlet on the serving plate. Pour the Marsala sauce over the chicken cutlet. Put some potato wedges, garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

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Pasta with broccoli n cheese...

If your little monster is hungry and you want to a big smile on his or her face just take out the Italian magic wand and do a spell. Be it pasta or pizza, kids love it.  I made some mini shell pasta for my daughter. I used some Mushroom to flavor the bechamel sauce. Bechamel sauce is nothing but white sauce. And to add the vegetable quotient, added some broccoli too. This time I made a veg-version, but you can make it non-veg anytime adding chicken or shrimps to it.

Ingredients:

• Mini shell pasta (cooked): 2 cups
• Button Mushrooms (finely chopped): 1 cup
• Broccoli (cut into small florets): 1/2 cup
• Red onion(finely chopped):1 tbsp
• Red onion (thinly sliced): a few
• Garlic(crushed):1 tsp
• Olive oil: 1-2 tbsp
• Mozzarella cheese (grated): 3-4 tbsp
• Dried Basil:1/4 tsp
• Dried Parsley:1/2 tsp

[Note: You can always use fresh herbs, but the quantity would be the double of the dried one, dreid herbs are much more concentrated than the fresh one. It is a good idea to keep  bottles of different dried herbs in your pantry, they come really very handy.]

Procedure:

Cut the broccoli florets and blanch them and keep aside.

Wash the button mushrooms well and chop them.

Cook the pasta following the directions on the pack. I used mini shell-shaped pasta.

Drain the water, keep it in a colander and drizzle some olive oil on it.

Make the bechamel/white sauce. Take a non stick pan, add butter. As the butter melts add the flour. Cook the flour in very low flame till the raw smell of flour has gone. You can see a nice color change, the flour will take a nice light yellow color. Add milk and whisk continuously. As the sauce thickens add salt and black pepper powder. Keep it aside.

Take another pan add some olive oil. When the oil is hot add crushed garlic. I always use my garlic crusher, rather than chopping the garlic, saves a lot of time. Add the finely chopped red onion and mushrooms. Cook for 5-6 min in medium high flame. Add salt, herbs, pasta and mix well. Add the sauce, broccoli and grated cheese. Remove from heat. Check the seasoning.

Transfer it into an oven proof bowl, sprinkle cheese and sliced onion on top. Put it in a pre-heated oven for 10min (or till the cheese takes a nice brown color) at 400F/200C/Gas mark 

Serve hot.