Pasta con pollo e pesto
pesto and chicken pasta
Zucca alla griglia
grilled squash
This week stay home and break out the grill with this great Italian inspired meal.
Start off first with the Chicken.
What you need:
boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 breast = 1-2 people)
balsamic vinegar
dijon mustard
cracked pepper
kosher salt
olive oil
Mix in bowl 3 TBS balsamic and 1 TBS mustard. Add a little salt and pepper as well as 1 TBS of olive oil. Add chicken and marinate overnight, turning chicken periodically.
Next, prepare the Pesto. Pesto is very easy to prepare. You can use store bought, but nothing tastes and smells better that freshly made pesto. All amounts are approximate. Adjust to suit your taste.
What you need:
Several hand fulls of fresh basil
kosher salt
pine nuts
chopped garlic
olive oil
freshly grated parmesan cheese
In a blender combine basil with a clove of chopped garlic and a pinch of salt. Blend briefly. Add a splash of olive oil. Add 2 TBS parmesan and blend briefly. Next in a skillet, slowly heat pine nuts on low. Stirring continually, be careful not to burn them. You do not want to roast them but simply release the oils within. Add the nuts and mix again. Add and mix in oil until mix makes a runny paste. Top off mix with a small layer of oil to keep from browning.
On to the Grill!
Now you are ready to start cooking! On the grill, start with the grilled squash and vegetables, as they take longer to cook than the chicken. I love to use summer squash, zucchini and roma tomatoes. Cut squash, tomatoes and zucchini into cubes and wrap with prosciutto. Bacon also works. Place them in a Kabob Basket. This keeps the bacon from sticking to the grill while being turned. I got mine at Target. On sale in the store for around $4 for a set of two. http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_1/601-8644416-0737712?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000MX1KJU
Drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook slowly away from direct flame turning periodically until done.
Now get the pasta started. A good Penne Pasta works well for this dish. While the pasta is going, get started with grilling the chicken. Let it go, nice and slow. And don't poke it with the fork! Poking with a fork causes the juices to run out, drying out the chicken.
Now slice the grilled chicken and place atop the cooked pasta. Spoon pesto over the chicken and pasta. Now garnish with some chopped roma tomatoes and freshly grated parmesan. Serve the chicken and pasta along side the grilled vegetables.
When shopping for your ingredients, I recommend getting the basil, tomatoes and squash at the Farmers Market held in Pioneer Park each Saturday. Fresh and Local.
For more info:
http://downtownslc.com/events/farmersmarket/farmersmarketinfo.htm
For the prosciutto and parmesan I suggest a visit to Tony Caputos. Corner of 3rd S. 3rd W. Downtown SLC. If you haven't been there, give it a try. It is worth the trip. http://www.caputosdeli.com/
Enjoy!-J
