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Fresh basil is abound at the vegetable markets, and you know what that means! Pesto! Lots and lots of pesto! It’s such an easy sauce to make, and goes oh so wonderfully well with, well, with *everything!* lol Would you believe the very first time I ever had pesto was at the Renaissance Fair in Southern Minnesota? There was a stand there that had freshly baked dense bread slathered with pesto. I think I went back to that stand like 5 times that day. lmfao Of course after that fateful day, I had to learn to make it on my own. Well, that was over 20 years ago already (and you better not make any old jokes either! ), and pesto still pays regular visits to my table. And by regular? I mean like at least once a week.

See those pine nuts in there? Yum. Pine nuts are soooo good…One of my first visits to Spain, we went up to a little town called Ávila. While walking, one of my friends picked up a gigantic pine cone and started eating from it. I was all like, “WHAT are you doing?” And she started laughing at me and showed me that she was eating the fresh pine nuts, straight from the cone. OMG! Free pine nuts! All over the place! Well, needless to say, we picked up a bunch of those suckers and had our fill of those delicious little nuggets. Good times, good times.

And while I’m on the subject of good times, Tony at Olive Juice is having a pesto event (It’s actually part of a series of events called, A Taste of the Mediterranean)!

Doesn’t that sound like fun?! Why don’t you join in and submit one of your own pesto dishes? This time, I’m submitting my old standby, Creamy Pesto Penne. I already have plans for another pesto dish this weekend, too.

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (to toast pine nuts, just toss them in a dry skillet over medium heat until lightly browned and aromatic)
1 large bunch basil (by large, I mean about 3 cups leaves), stemmed
1 small bunch parsley (about a cup), stemmed
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (about)
3 cups cream
1 pound (1/2 kilo) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 pound (1/2 kilo) penne

Preparation:

Prepare pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, make pesto.
Using a food processor, first process garlic, then add basil and parsley and process until finely chopped.
Now toss in the parmesan, salt and pepper and pulse until combined.
In a steady stream, add enough olive oil to bind the pesto (so it sticks together, but isn’t liquid-y).
Add in pine nuts and pulse to combine, you don’t want to break them up entirely..those little nuggets are good!
Mix about 1/3 of the pesto with the chicken strips.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.
Saute chicken until cooked through, then add cream and stir to combine.
Heat through, then remove from heat and add the remaining pesto and stir to combine.
Drain the pasta, and then toss with the creamy pesto sauce and chicken.
Serve with extra parmesan if you like.
Try not to die of happiness and joy with each bite.

Penne con Pollo y Salsa de Pesto Cremoso

Ingredientes:
 
4 dientes de ajo
1/2 vaso piñones, ligeramente tostado
1 manojo grande de albahaca fresca, (unos 3 vasos)
1 manojo pequeño de perejil (un vaso)
1/2 vaso queso parmesano recientemente rallado, y mas para servir
sal y pimienta al gusto
1/4 vaso (mas o menos) aceite de oliva virgen
3 vasos nata
1/2 kilo pechuga de pollo en tiras
1/2 kilo pasta penne rigate

Elaboración:

Preparar pasta según el paquete.
Mientras tanto, preparar el pesto.
Utilizando el robot de cocina, procesar ajo primero.
A continuación, añadir la albahaca y el perejil y procesar hasta que estén picaditos.
Ahora añadir el parmesano, la sal y la pimienta y procesar.
Verter el aceite poco a poco hasta que el pesto esté homogéneo, pero no líquido.
Añadir los piñones y pulsar un poco, no quieres romperlos del todo–que son buenos!
Mezclar la tercera parte de pesto con el pollo.
Calentar una sartén sobre fuego medio fuerte y rociar con aceite de oliva.
Saltear pollo y pesto hasta que esté hecho, y a continuación, añadir la nata.
Calentar solo hasta que la nata esté caliente, y retirar del fuego.
Añadir el pesto que sobra y mezclar bien.
Escurrir la pasta y mezclar con la salsa y el pollo.
Servir con parmesano si quieres.
Intentar no morirse de gusto y felicidad con cada mordisco.

I would also like to thank Elle at Elle’s New England Kitchen for awarding me an I love you this much award!

Thank you so much, Elle! I love YOU that much and MORE!!! MUAC!!!

I’d like to pass this award on to some great bloggers:

Nina at Nina’s Kitchen
Judy at No Fear Entertaining
Ginny at Just Get Floury
Gloria at Canela’s Kitchen
Brenda at Flanboyant Eats
 

Mmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, MMMMH!  I love Italian food.  Don’t you?  Doesn’t everyone?  There’s something to be said for a big ol’ plate of pasta, homemade sauce and bunches of cheese.  This dish is probably more of a winter weather dish, but what the heck?  I figured I’d better sneak it into the menu at least one last time before the hot days of summer sneak upon us.  Soon the menu is going to be all about gazpacho, and grilling’ and mojitos.  But before that, I really felt that we needed to give Chicken Parmesan a proper send off, one last hurrah before it gets tucked away for cooler days.

Oh! And something *new*! Ahora algo *nuevo*! I’m excited to announce that the recipes I post will now be available both in English and in Spanish. Tengo el placer de decir que desde ahora en adelante, todas las recetas que pongo en el web estarán disponibles en inglés y en español.

Ingredients:

2 pounds (1 kilo) spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
2 quarts (2 liters) homemade sauce (about)
2 pounds (1 kilo) chicken fillets
2 eggs plus 2 tablespoons water
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil (or olive oil and butter) to fry
1 cup grated mozzarella (about)

Preparation:

You’ll probably want to start your sauce first, seeing as how it simmers a couple of hours.
While your sauce is simmering, prepare the chicken station.
Beat eggs and water in a deep plate.
Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in another deep plate.
Dip each chicken fillet in egg wash first, then in bread crumb mixture and reserve on a plate.
When your sauce has about 45 minutes left to go, heat up enough oil to coat the bottom of a skillet.
Fry chicken fillets until golden, about 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness of fillets.
Drain chicken on paper towels, then keep warm in a heated oven.
You might want to start your pasta now.
Once all chicken in fried, and pasta is cooked and drained, you’ll want to plate your chicken Parmesan.
Place a bunch of spaghetti on a plate and top with a generous amount of sauce.
Slice a chicken fillet, and place it over the spaghetti and sauce.
Add a little more sauce and top with some mozzarella.
Try not to die of pleasure, because I think that might be a sin. lol

Y ahora en español!

Ingredientes:

1 kilo de espaguetis, preparado según el paquete
2 litros salsa de tomate casera (aproximadamente)
1 kilo filetes de pollo
2 huevos mas 2 cucharadas de agua
2 vasos (de Nocilla) pan rallado al ajo y perejil
1/2 vaso queso parmesano recién rallado
sal y pimienta negra al gusto
aceite de oliva (o aceite y mantequilla) para freir
1 vaso queso mozzarella rallado

Elaboración:

Querrás empezar con la salsa primero, como tardará unas horitas en hacerse.
Mientras la salsa esté en el fuego, preparar un lugar para el pollo.
Batir los huevos con el agua en un plato hondo.
Mezclar el pan rallado, queso parmesano, sal y pimienta en otro plato hondo.
Pasar los filetes de pollo primero por el huevo/agua y después por el pan.
Reservar en un plato.
Cuando la salsa le quede unos 45 minutos para terminarse, calentar un poco de aceite en una sartén.
Freir los filetes de pollo unos 4 minutos por cada lado, según el grosor.
Escurrir sobre papel de cocina, y reservar en el horno, ligeramente calentado.
A lo mejor querrás empezar la pasta ahora.
Cuando todo el pollo esté frito, la pasta esté cocida y escurrida y la salsa esté hecha, querrás emplatarlo.
Colocar una montañita de espaguetis en el plato, y cubrir con un poco de salsa.
Cortar un filete de pollo en tiras y colocar sobre la pasta.
Cubrir con un poco mas de salsa y espolvorear con queso mozzarella.
Intentar no morirse de gusto, porque creo que eso es un pecado. jijiji

**nota**si quieres la receta para la salsa traducida, dímelo, y la traduciré con gusto.

So, remember last week, when I was telling you how badly I wanted to try ZenChef’s (over at Chefs Gone Wild)   Well, I did it.  I made his absolutely remarkable risotto and I’m sort of half wondering if I have died and gone to heaven?  Did I?  Somebody let me know if you read this post…to let me know if I died or not.  I mean seriously…it’s *that* good.  I even screwed it up a little–I forgot the lemon juice until after we finished eating it.  Did I mention there was not a single grain of rice left over?  We even licked the cockle shells clean.  I was going to make some really inappropriate joke about sucking cockle shells, but I’d better not.  But we did. lol  ;)  If you know me, you know that I cannot follow a recipe exactly.  It really is some sort of impossibility for me.  I do not feel complete if I don’t change things up at least just a little.  After all, a recipe really should just be a springboard for our own creativity, right?  So, I will note my (minimal) changes, even though I did stick pretty close to . 

So, would you look at this?  Don’t you just want to dive into that plate of creamy risotto bliss?  Trust me, it’ll be the best dive you’ve ever performed.

Here are my changes:

*Rather than using 6 pounds (3 kilos) of clams, and a pound (1/2 kilo) of mussels I used a combination of cockles, mussels and prawns (peeled, deveined)
*I used 2 1/2 cups rice (because I had only a little left in the bag. Toss it in there, I said.
*I added the prepared prawns to the clam broth, and then added them in with the rice right away (as you know, prawns either need to be quick cooked, or long cooked for them to be tender, so I opted for long cook, so the broth would have a hint of prawn flavor as well)
*I forgot the lemon.
*I added freshly grated Parm cheese to serve.

See? Hardly any changes, really. Just a couple.

Wow, that old saying of “You learn something new every day,” really is true, isn’t it?  I was thinking of writing a cute little title for this dish, playing on an old Mother Goose rhyme; Mary, Mary, quite contrary…etc, until I read the history and significance of the rhyme.  Um, let’s not use that particular imagery on the cooking blog. Yikes! So, a simple title will have to suffice, because the only other clever thing I can think up using the word, “cockle,” is probably also inappropriate for a cooking blog. lol

It’s Cockle season!  Yes!  Cockles are (in my opinion) better than clams….they are a type of mollusk, small and heart shaped, and if you really would like to know all about them, here is a link to Wikipedia detailing the exact nature of the creature.  What Wikipedia doesn’t tell you, though, is that the cockle is delicious!  It’s sweeter than a clam, and quite tender and succulent.

ZenChef over at Chefs Gone Wild made a the other day, which I had planned on trying this week.  Unfortunately, my market’s clams left much to be desired.  Which is strange, considering that they are almost always available and fresh and begging to be purchased and made into something wonderful.  They did, however, have cockles, and I think that I’m almost happy that the cockles were screaming at me instead.  The delicately sweet flavor lends itself really, really well to this garlicky white sauce,  And over pasta?  Yum.  I will definitely try soon, though. 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 medium onion, minced
3-4 small dried cayenne peppers
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
1 1/2 pounds (750 grams) linguine
2 pounds (1 kilo) cockles (soaked in salted ice cold water for a minimum of 1 hour)
1/4 cup butter, in pieces
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
*optional, but recommended* 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/3 cup water
freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste

Preparation:

Get your water going for the pasta…you’ll want to salt it fairly heavily and bring to a rolling boil.
Meanwhile, begin your sauce.
Heat olive oil in a wide, medium depth soup pot.
Saute garlic first, just until beginning to turn golden, then add onions and saute until translucent and tender.
Add cayennes, wine and water and cook about 3-5 minutes over moderate heat.
By now, your pasta water might be ready, so pop the noodles in there and prepare according to package directions.
When the pasta is done, drain well and return to the pot.
Ok, back to the sauce.
Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper, then add the cockles and cover.
Cook over moderate heat for about 5 minutes or so, until cockles have opened (discard any that haven’t opened, they’re not fit to eat).
Remove from heat, add butter and parsley and stir.
Add cornstarch slurry if using and stir some more, then reserve.
Is your pasta back in the pot? Ok, then it’s time to pour the cockles and sauce over your pasta and stir well to combine.
Discard any empty shells you find.
Sprinkle with parm to taste and enjoy!
Oh! Be sure to have more of that dry white on hand to drink with this dish.

You know, living here in the Canaries has it’s advantages. (duh! lol)  I love the fresh local produce that abounds in the produce markets, and whatever the season, we’ve always got fresh oranges, lemons, avocados, pineapples, kiwis, tomatoes, zucchini, and a number of others.  One thing that hasn’t caught on so much here is the concept of fresh herbs (apart from parsley, cilantro and spearmint)…My neighborhood vendor normally has fresh basil and arugula (not so common around here!), but this week, the basil was looking a little sickly.  Bummer for me, because I have been seriously craving Caprese salad to accompany one of the many barbecues we’ve been having lately.  You see, my dear hubs is on vacation, and our regular schedule is a bit out of whack.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s completely awesome having him home instead of never seeing hide nor hair of him! lol  Just that we’ve been veering off of the beaten path of routine.  Alvaro *loves* grilling,  so we’ve been doing a lot of that while he’s home, and frankly, I haven’t pulled out the camera or food set-up stuff to share what’s been gracing our table very much.  Besides, Alvaro likes to hog the computer! LOL  ;)  So, anyway, back to the salad.  Yesterday we grilled some steaks and potatoes, and I was hell bent on having my Caprese salad.  I have to admit, the fresh basil is crucial.  It wasn’t as good with dried, even though I let it marinate for about an hour, but, even so, it was still good, so I’ll share it.  Vine ripened tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella really make the difference, too.  I’m thinking that the next time I make a Caprese, I’m going to really go wild and use vine ripened cherry tomatoes, and chop up the motz and shred some fresh basil…a wild and crazy chopped up Caprese.  Because that’s what this world needs.  Fo reelz.  Seriously, this is SUCH an easy salad for any meal, I wholly recommend it.  But get fresh basil.  I’m just sayin.

Ingredients:

1 large vine ripened tomato, sliced thick
1 small round of buffalo mozzarella (8 ounce/200 grams), sliced
cracked black pepper to taste
sea salt to taste
extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed is best)
red wine vinegar (I like tarragon flavor)
1 teaspoon dried basil (please, learn from my mistake and use fresh instead–I’d go with about 1 handful of basil leaves, sliced chiffonade or even just roughly chopped or torn)

Preparation:

Layer tomato and cheese slices on a plate (and fresh basil).
Season with remaining ingredients.
Allow to marinate for about 1 hour.
Serve.
See? Easy Peasy.

So there’s this train of recipes just patiently waiting to be posted on the site…but the thing is, is that I’ve been busy with the aftermath of the kids being home.  Yes, I am *still* finding remnants of those twisty tie things they so abundantly fasten kids’ toys with today in the strangest of corners.  The aftermath of the holiday vacation has been keeping me busy…everything seems to be out of place.  Like, why on Earth is that sock hanging from the door handle?  Why are *all* of the dvd’s out of their cases?  And OH!  Watch out!  Remote control car on the loose!  So.  My sweet little recipes are all waiting patiently in line at .  Asking which one gets to be first….”Pick me!  Pick me!” they say.  Hopefully I will be able to post them all over the next week (supposing that I can keep up with the newer things I plan to make, and not perpetuate the queue! haha). 

This recipe comes to us from my Mom, Carla.  She made a similar one over the holidays and sent me the recipe.  It sounded SO good!  And dang…it sure was!  It makes a huge batch, though, so if you’re not feeding a large family or an army, you might want to scale it back a bit.  I sort of took the “idea” of her recipe and ran with it, I looked at the ingredient list added some stuff, subtracted some stuff, and winged it.  This is one of those soups that is a whole meal in itself, hearty, satisfying and oh, so good.  I hope you like it as much as we did!

And now for something new…I’d like to suggest a Rosé wine to accompany this soup…something not too dry, not too fruity, with just a hint of a bubble, but not quite…El Coto Rosado.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, peeled and diced
1 pound chicken breast, diced
2 zucchini, chopped
1 head broccoli, in florets
1 head cauliflower, in florets
1 cup peas
4 quarts chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup freshly grated grana padano cheese
2 cups tortellini

Preparation:

In a large (huge) stockpot, melt butter and saute garlic first, until golden.
Add onions, carrots and celery and saute a couple of minutes more.
Add chicken and brown (good brown bits make for delicious soup!).
Add remaining vegetables and broth and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, prepare alfredo.
Melt butter in a saucepan, then whisk in flour, salt and pepper…throw in some garlic powder too.
Gradually add milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
Stir the sauce constantly until thickened.
Then remove from heat and whisk in cheese.
Adjust seasoning.
Whisk the sauce into the soup quickly.
Add tortellini and cook 15 minutes more.