Family Pasta Favourite (Basil Pesto)

When I say family pasta favourite, I mean this pasta will have you shacking at the knees. It will stimulate all your senses, lighting up the pleasure centres of your brain and a surge of dopamine will send you into bliss ! You're sceptical ? I get that. I was too. But then I took the plunge and made the recipe and to this day 10 years later, we still eat it regularly and I still get phone calls from friends asking me how to make it. I want you to experience this - lets drive in.




Time from start to finish: 35minutes (I'm a lazy cook)

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

• 2x fresh basil packs (make sure it smells fragrant)
• 40-50gr pine nuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup sharp parmesan grated (don't use the powdery stuff)
• olive oil of your choice
• 1tsp salt
• 1-2tblspoon water (optional).
• 600-1000gr chicken breast or thigh meat
• 1 onion
• Fusili or similar pasta (the shape of it catches the sauce between the swirls for maximum flavour)

Method (follow these steps to make it under 35mins, deviate and it could take longer)

1. Fill a large pot with water and put it on the stove on high heat. You will eventually boil your pasta in this water.
2. Chop onion and slice the chicken. Onion will be small pieces, chicken will be bite size chunks around 1x2cm or 2x2cm - be rustic !
3. Fry the chicken and onion in a pan until both are lightly coloured, the onion releases that caramelised smell and the chicken looks cooked. Even if you don't achieve this and its boils in its water, that ok. You will still achieve greatness.
4. Add all the ingredients except the pasta and water into a beaker (for blending). Start with the basil leaves (its ok if you get some stem in there but try avoid the centre thick stems). Then add the pine nuts, parmesan, salt and garlic.
5. Here comes the trickiest part:
• Pour in around 1/2 a cup of olive oil
• Start blending and breaking down the ingredients for about 30 seconds. Pulse it!
• Evaluate, does it look like it needs more olive oil. I reckon you need another half a cup.
• Add more olive oil and blend for another 30 seconds.

• Does the basil pesto look like the pic above ? perhaps some more oil ?
• If you feel you just cant justify more oil, add 1-2 tablespoons of water and blend again
• You want a thick but fluid consistency kind of like ketchup, but not mayo.

1. By now your pot of water is probably boiling and may have been for some time. Add the pasta and cook until done.
2. Pour out the hot water and pasta into a colander (or use a lazier method) and put the hot pasta back into the original pot it cooked in, so its just hot pasta, no water.
3. Throw in the chicken and onion that was cooked and stir through
4. Pour in the decadent basil pasta sauce (maybe a few more pinches of salt)
5. Stir through gently until everything is green and well combined.

Enjoy.

(PS this is a great crowd pleaser so if you are having a party, you can make a big batch without the chicken and serve as a cold pasta).
(PSS if you live near me, contact me for a real live demo at your house)