Even though it's the Dog Days of summer now, pasta can be a good meal without being too filling. It's been a while since I've had good pesto and Barb has ever tried it. Besides, I'm still on my pasta binge. What better time than the present. If you have lots of fresh basil in your garden this is a great dish for you. Pesto is a sauce originating in Genoa, Italy. This sauce is made from crushed garlic, pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, and hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano all blended with olive oil.
1-pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, sauteed and chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup Gemelli
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup pesto
Braising Chicken
Toss chicken with Italian seasoning, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chopped chicken and brown evenly; remove from pan. In same pan, combine broth and lemon juice; bring to a boil, stirring to loosen browned bits in pan. Stir in pasta; return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered 10 minutes.
Simmering Gemelli Pasta
Simmering mess o' pasta
Add broccoli; cook, covered 5 minutes. Return chicken to pan; cook, covered until pasta is tender and chicken is no longer pink, 2-3 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Add peas, heat through. Stir in pesto and serve. You can make your own pesto, but I didn't.
This is a fairly quick and simple meal. It fits nearly any occasion, and the recipe makes enough for leftovers as well some OTR meals as well. Barb's first taste of Pesto was a success, we both loved it.
Plated with Garlic Toast
"Italian food is all about the ingredients, it's not fancy and it's not fussy"
Wolfgang Puck
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