Pesto Recipe and Heirloom Tomato, Chicken, and Pesto Tart Recipe

Pesto

My garden was completely exploding with basil, so I decided to make a big batch of pesto.  The recipe below is one batch, but it can easily be doubled.  If you triple the recipe, it can overflow your food processor, so be careful! (Learned that the hard way) I ended up making 5 batches this morning – so this means we will be sharing! You can also freeze excess pesto to use later.  It will keep in the freezer for about 6 months.

Serving Size: Recipe makes about a cup of pesto

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes

Kitchen Tools:

•          Food Processor or Blender
•          Cutting Board
•          Knife
•          Rubber Scraper

Ingredients:

•          3 cups loosely packed Basil Leaves
•          ¼ cup Pine Nuts
•          ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese (shredded or shaved)
•          3 Garlic Cloves Roughly Chopped
•          Juice from ½ a Lemon
•          2 pinches of Salt
•          2 teaspoons Fresh Cracked Pepper
•          ½ - ¾ cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

•        Start by washing the basil and removing all the leaves from the stems; let the basil leaves dry completely before making pesto. I used black and green basil.

•            Add basil leaves, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to your blender or food processor.

•          As you mix all ingredients, add the olive oil through the opening at the top of the food processor or blender.  I added closer to ¾ cup of olive oil to mine because I wanted to use it as more of a sauce.  If you want a thicker texture, use only about a ½ cup.

•          Mix your pesto until everything is blended.

•          Make sure you taste your pesto to ensure it is properly seasoned – add more salt and pepper if necessary.
•          Transfer your pesto to jars for storage; add right on to pasta; or transfer to ice cube trays for freezing.

Bonus 2^nd Recipe - Heirloom Tomato, Chicken and Pesto Tart

Last night we used the pesto to make an Heirloom Tomato, Chicken and Pesto Tart.  We ate this for dinner, but you could slice it up as an appetizer as well. We enjoyed our tart with a 2010 Barbera from Cooper Vineyards in Amador County, CA – It was delish!

Serves: 3-4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Kitchen Tools:

•          Cookie Sheet
•          Cutting Board
•          Knife

Ingredients:

•          Puff Pastry Sheet – Thawed
•          ¼ cup Pesto
•          1 Ball of Mozzarella Sliced
•          1 cup cooked chopped Chicken
•          ¼ Red Onion Thinly Sliced
•          1 cup Heirloom Tomatoes Chopped
•          2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
•          Salt and Pepper

Directions:

•          Preheat oven to 400° F
•          Roll out Puff Pastry to desired shape and place on greased cookie sheet – I just unfolded mine – the less effort the better!
•          Spread pesto on top of Puff Pastry
•          Add Mozzarella, chicken, onions and tomatoes

•          Bake for 15-20 minutes – until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese has melted.
•          Once out of the oven, drizzle balsamic vinegar over the tart and add salt and pepper.
•          Enjoy!!

Two Quick & Impressive Homemade Appitizers

Don’t you just LOVE when people just “drop by” to say hello…Well this happened the other day!  We got a call that friends were stopping by and I had 45 minutes to whip up something fabulous.   Luckily, I have these two super easy recipes in my back pocket.  Our guests were pleased and I was happy to serve a simple and impressive appetizer platter!

Sausage Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Kitchen Tools:

1.       Frying Pan
2.       Wooden Spoon
3.       Slotted Spoon
4.       Food Processor
5.       Mixing Bowl
6.       Small Spoon
7.       Baking Sheet

Ingredients:

1.       1 Package of Whole Mushrooms (I used Baby Bellas)
2.       1 Spicy Italian Sausage Link (Casing removed)
3.       3 Tablespoons of a soft cheese ( I used Boursin Garlic and Herb Spreadable Cheese)
4.       2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
5.       Cooking Spray

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 325°.
2.       Start cooking the Italian sausage (remove casing first) in the frying pan.  If there is not enough fat in the sausage, add a little olive oil to the pan. Using the back of your wooden spoon, break up the sausage into small pieces for a more even cooking.
3.       While the sausage cooks, wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel. Do not rinse the mushrooms – they will absorb all the water and won’t cook properly.
4.       Remove stems from the mushrooms and discard.

5.       Once sausage is completely browned, move from the frying pan to your food processor with a slotted spoon to avoid the excess fat. Blend until you have small pieces of sausage.  If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop the cooked sausage with a knife into small pieces.

6.       In a bowl, add the sausage, cheese and bread crumbs and stir/mix until completely blended.

7.       Spoon the filling into the mushroom caps, pressing with the back of the spoon.

8.       Place filled mushrooms on greased baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
9.       Serve and enjoy!
 
Bacon Wrapped Artichoke Hearts
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 – 20 Minutes

Kitchen Tools:

1.       Knife
2.       Cutting Board
3.       Baking Sheet
 
Ingredients:
1.       1 Large Jar Marinated Artichoke Hearts
2.       ½ lb. Bacon
3.       Cooking Spray
 
Directions:
1.       Preheat oven to 425°.
2.       Cut bacon strips in half.

3.       Wrap the cut strips around an artichoke heart and place on a greased baking sheet.  If the artichoke hearts are too big for the bacon, cut them in half.  I cover the baking sheet with foil for easier clean up.

4.       Bake in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes, until the bacon looks crispy.
5.       Serve and enjoy!

Cloudy Day Corn and Potato Chowder

Yesterday was a gloomy, cloudy day that called for some soup.  This recipe was an experiment that turned out super yummy…so I decided to share it with you.

Serving Size: 6 – 8

Prep Time: 40 Minutes
Cook Time: 2 ½ - 3 Hours

Kitchen Tools:

1.      Dutch Oven or Large Stockpot
2.      Cutting Board
3.      Sharp Chef’s Knife
4.      Wooden Spoon
5.      Slotted Spoon
6.      Immersion Blender or Regular Blender

Ingredients:

1.      1Tablespoon Olive Oil
2.      ½ lb. Bacon
3.      1 Medium Yellow Onion
4.      3-4 Stalks of Celery
5.      4 – 6 Garlic Cloves (depends on how much you like garlic!)
6.      2 teaspoons Seasoned Salt
7.      2 teaspoons Fresh Cracked Pepper
8.      5 cups Chicken Stock
9.      5 – 8 Red Potatoes (more if they are small – I had some monster potatoes, so I only used 5)
10.  2 lb. Bag Frozen Corn, or Fresh Corn – it is winter so I used frozen
11.  1 cup Half & Half
12.  ½ a Bunch of Cilantro Chopped (optional, I just really love cilantro – and it added a fresh flavor to the hearty soup)
13.  Hot Sauce for topping – if you like!

Directions:

1.      Chop bacon into small lardons/cubes.
2.      Place dutch oven on cooking surface and turn heat to medium high. Once the pot is warm, add 1 Tbs. of olive oil and lardons. Cook until crispy.

3.      While bacon cooks, dice onion and celery into small pieces. Crush garlic with a press or chop super small. Dice potatoes (leaving the skins on) into ¼ inch cubes.

4.      Remove the cooked bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside, keeping the bacon fat and residual olive oil in the pot. (I like to place the bacon on a plate with a paper towel underneath so it doesn’t get soggy.)  Add onions and stir with your wooden spoon to scrape up all the bacon bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the seasoned salt and pepper to the onions and let cook for 2-3 minutes.

5.      Add celery to the onions, cook another 2 minutes and then add the garlic.
6.      Add the chicken stock, potatoes and corn to the pot. Turn the heat to high, bring the soup to a boil. (If you want to leave the house, you can do steps 2-5 in a frying pan and add everything in a slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-10 hours)
7.      Add bacon back to soup, saving a little for to top the soup for serving.
8.      Turn heat to low and cover. Let soup cook for 2½ to 3 hours.
9.      Blend about half the soup using an immersion blender (or just scoop it into your upright blender then return to the pot).

10.  Add half & half and cilantro and continue cooking, uncovered, for about another 15 minutes, until heated through.

11.  Add salt and pepper to taste if needed.
12.  Serve up and top with the extra bacon and enjoy!  For some extra flavor boost a little hot sauce on top was really good!

Chicken Pot Pies

On rainy days all you want is some comfort food, and I can’t think of a better comfort food than Chicken Pot Pies!  This recipe took a little time to prepare, but it was so worth it and everyone you make it for will be happy campers!

Serving Size: 2 Pot Pies

Prep Time: 35-45 Minutes

Bake Time: 30 Minutes

Kitchen Tools:

·         Cutting Board

·         Chef Knife

·         Frying Pan or Skillet

·         Mixing Bowl

·         Sauce Pan

·         Whisk

·         Ramekins (2)

·         Cookie Sheet
·         Pastry Brush

Ingredients:

1.       1 Breast of Chicken Cooked (I use any excuse in the world to go to Costco…so I used a Rotisserie Chicken and will use the rest for salads this week for lunch.)

2.       1 tsp. EVOO

3.       ¼ of a Large Onion

4.       1 ½ Stalks of Celery

5.       6 Baby Carrots or 1 Large Carrots (I eat baby carrots as a snack, so we always have them handy)

6.       Salt and Pepper

7.       1 tsp. Poultry Seasoning

8.       ¼ cup Frozen Peas

9.       ¼ cup Frozen Corn

10.   2 Tbs. Butter (1Tbs. for sauce and 1Tbs. melted for brushing the top of the pies)

11.   1 Tbs. Flour

12.   ½ to ¾ cup of Milk or Half and Half (I use just in between this amount and it is perfect, but if you want a thick sauce use ½ and if you want a thinner sauce, use ¾ cup!)

13.   1 Store bought Frozen Pie Dough (You could make your own, but why??)

14.   Cooking Spray

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350°.

2.       Dice onion very small and cut celery and carrots into small bite size pieces.

3.       Heat frying pan and drizzle with EVOO.  Add onions, celery and carrots to pan and cook until veggies are almost done. Season the veggies with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.

4.       Cut chicken into small cubes.

5.       Add frozen peas and corn to pan and cook until not frozen anymore. Remove from heat and add to chicken.

6.      In a saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the flour once the butter is melted and mix with a whisk.  Keep whisking and add the milk once the flour mixture has turned a golden color.  ALWAYS keep stirring this sauce. There is nothing worse than a burnt béchamel! Bring the sauce to a boil and turn down the heat to low. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

7.       Add the sauce to the chicken and veggie mixture and mix thoroughly.

8.       Cut the pie crust to fit on top of your ramekins.

9.       Spray ramekins with cooking spray and add chicken mixture.

 

10.   Place pie crust on top of chicken mixture and pierce dough with a knife to let steam out while cooking.

11.   Brush the dough with melted butter to get a lovely golden brown color

12.   Place full ramekins on a cookie sheet to keep your oven clean if the sauce comes over the top!

13.   Bake for 30 minutes or until the pie crust looks golden brown.

14.   ENJOY!!