How to Make Pesto like an Italian Grandmother

        One key to perfect pesto is chopping all the ingredients by hand, preferably with a sharp mezzaluna or knife.This pesto will keep a bit in the refrigerator, but it really hits its peak when served soon after it is made.

The technique here is: chop a bit, add some ingredients, chop some more. I think part of the reason it works this way (instead of chopping everything all at once) is because some things get chopped into oblivion, while some not as much - it encourages spectrum of cut sizes throughout the pesto contributing to the overall texture. All told, the chopping took me a leisurely twenty to thirty minutes, I wasn't in any particular rush.

       You'll notice this recipe doesn't have any added salt (just the saltiness from the cheese), make sure your pasta water is well salted if you are going to use this pesto on pasta or the overall flavor profile will fall flat. Also, be sure to adjust for seasoning before serving. With food this simple, you need to get the seasoning right.

Ingredients:

1 large bunch of basil, leaves only, washed and dried
3 medium cloves of garlic
One small handful of raw pine nuts
Roughly 3/4 cup Parmesan, loosely packed and FRESHLY GRATED
A few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

Special equipment: large mezzaluna for chopping

Directions:

Start chopping the garlic along with about 1/3 of the basil leaves. Once this is loosely chopped add more basil, chop some more, add the rest of the basil, chop some more. I scrape and chop, gather and chop. At this point the basil and garlic should be a very fine mince. Add about half the pine nuts, chop. Add the rest of the pine nuts, chop. Add half of the Parmesan, chop. Add the rest of the Parmesan, and chop. In the end you want a chop so fine that you can press all the ingredients into a basil "cake" - see the photo up above. Transfer the pesto "cake" to a small bowl (not much bigger than the cake). Cover with a bit of olive oil, it doesn't take much, just a few tablespoons.

You can set this aside or place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Just before serving give the pesto a quick stir to incorporate some of the oil into the basil. She occasionally thins the pesto with a splash of pasta water for more coverage, but for our gnocchi this wasn't necessary.

You can also make a bunch ahead and freeze them in ice cube trays to have just enough to add a cube size to a dish later.

Chicken Pasta Salad with Grapes

This salad has a great combination of sweet, comforting, a little bit of crunch and a cool dish when pairing with hot meat at a BBQ.

1 pkg curly noodles, cooked

1 chicken breast, shredded or cut in chunks (whatever you prefer)

1 small package sliced almonds

1 can pineapple tidbits, drained (or I have used crushed pineapple and it was still just as good)

bag of red grapes

Dressing:

1 c. sour cream

1 c. miracle whip

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ginger

Mix dressing a little at a time (depending on how much creamy sauce you want) and stir into the other ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. And wa-lah! A yummy pasta salad. Great summer dish!

Capellini Pomodoro

If any of you have been to Olive Garden and know their menu well you might have tried this simple pasta recipe. It is one of their smaller calorie pastas. Very simple but has a yummy italian taste. I was able to find this recipe and I would love to share it with you.

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic - minced

2 pounds plum tomatoes - seeded/diced

1 oz fresh basil leaves -minced

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 oz parmesan cheese

12 0z dry angel hair pasta - cooked

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Heat olive poil and garlic. (Cook garlic until it is white)

2. Add tomatoes and pepper. Heat through stirring for 2-3 minutes.

3. Tomatoes shouldn't lose shape. Remove from heat.

4. Transfer hot cooked pasta to large bowl. Toss with tomato mix, basil and half of parmesan cheese.

5. Serve with remaining cheese.

Paccheri Pasta with Braised Chicken and Saffron Cream

So we LOVED this recipe. It makes like 4-6 servings and my sister, Dustin and I finished it off in one night. Oh my gosh I can't put this recipe into words it is so good. You just have to make it to see what I mean. It's amazing.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 pounds chicken thighs with skin and bones
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped white onions
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
• 2 cups dry white wine (I used Kenwood white wine)
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
• 2 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
• 1 pound paccheri (giant rigatoni) or regular rigatoni
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• 
  

• Ingredient Info

  Paccheri is available at markethallfoods.com. (I couldn't find this in stores here so this site was great.)
  
  

Preparation:

• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, to skillet and cook until golden, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate. Add onions and garlic to drippings in skillet; sauté until onions are slightly softened, 7 to 8 minutes. Add wine and saffron to skillet; bring to boil. Continue to boil until liquid is thickened and reduced by less than half, about 8 minutes. Add 2 cups chicken broth to skillet. Return chicken to skillet; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer gently until chicken is very tender (adjust heat to prevent boiling and turn chicken over after 30 minutes), about 1 hour total. Transfer chicken to plate and cool.
• Reserve skillet with juices. Remove skin and bones from chicken and discard. Tear chicken meat into bite-size pieces; place in medium bowl and reserve.
• Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain; return to pot.
• Meanwhile, spoon off fat from juices in skillet; discard fat. Add cream to juices in skillet and boil until sauce is reduced to 2 1/2 cups and is thick enough to coat spoon, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice, then chicken pieces. Stir over medium heat until heated through, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin sauce as needed and adding more lemon juice by teaspoonfuls, if desired, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken mixture to pasta in pot and toss to coat. Stir in basil. Transfer pasta to plates.

Homemade Creamy Mac and Cheese

No fake cheddar or nacho cheese flavor in this delicious casserole! I don't like the fake mac n' cheese in a box at all. When I found this recipe I was relieved. I can feed my hubby something better than the cheesy plastic. Ew.

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter -7 tablespoons

Garlic -1 clove, minced

Fresh bread crumbs -1 1/2 cups

Kosher salt & ground pepper

Elbow macaroni -1 pound

All-purpose flour -1/4 cup

Whole milk-3 cups, warmed

Sharp Cheddar cheese-2 cups shredded

Fontina cheese -2 cups shredded

Dry mustard -1/2 teaspoon

Directions:

In a large frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over med-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and stir until coated with butter. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and stir occasionally until the water returns to a boil. Cook according to the package directions until not quite al dente. (The macaroni will cook again in the oven, so do not over cook it now.) Drain well and set aside.

Add the remaining4 tablespoons butter to the pot used for the pasta and melt over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let bubble for 1 minute without browning. Gradually whisk in the milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring to boil, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses along with the mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the pasta. Spread in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle evenly with the buttered crumbs.

Bake until the crumbs are browned and the sauce is bubbling about 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve hot.