Italian Recipes All About Pesto

In the old days in Italy, when the basil was ready for harvest, pesto was made with a mortar and pestle and if so inclined one can still make it that way. I bet it tastes even better, but I must confess I never tried it. I do know for a fact that mayonnaise began in Corsica and it was the job of the father, not the mother, to make the week’s batch every Sunday. Something tells me that pesto may be ‘a man’s job’ as well (next time I talk to my friend Francesco I’ll ask). I’m also curious as to how it was kept in the old days because clearly pesto is one way of getting the hard months of no fresh basil. These days you merely fill ice cube trays with the ambrosia and it freezes wonderfully.

­The basic ingredients for pesto are basil, olive oil, parmesan or other hard grated Italian cheese like romano, and nuts. “What?” Some may exclaim, “you are no authority on Italian cooking at all!” But I’m here to testify that as surely as Mt. Vesuvius did not blow it’s top over the way Pompeians were watering down the wine, I am committing no offense to good and sensible, down to earth Italian cooking. No, you don’t have to use pine nuts, and yes, a variety of hard cheeses are acceptable.

In fact, every time I make pesto (with a blender!), which, appropriately enough is once a year when my basil bushes have finally had enough of the cold, I like to try a new nut. Actually, I find pine nuts to be a bit overwhelming (ditto for chocolate mole) and my favorite choice so far has been walnuts, which adds a nice earthy touch fit for the colder months. Cashews proved to be interesting but intolerable when eaten with gusto, and almonds are nice. Next on my try list is macadamia nuts, over which I’m being careful not to predict anything.

Finally, though pesto is best known as being eaten with pasta, the next time you make minestrone top each bowl off with a spoonful of pesto. After that your minestrone will be lonely without it.

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Does anybody know any really good italian recipe????

im 19 weeks pregnant and am craveing italian food but i dont know what to make does any body have a really good italian recipe for me?????

Answer
Tuscan Garlic Chicken
Serves 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Ingredients
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cup(s) flour, plus 1 tablespoon
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Italian herb seasoning
1 lb(s) curly or regular fettuccine
1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, julienne cut
1/2 cup(s) dry, white wine
1/2 lb(s) whole leaf spinach, stemmed
12 oz heavy cream
1 cup(s) Parmesan cheese, grated
Procedures
Combine 1½ cups flour, salt, black pepper and Italian herb seasoning in a shallow dish.

Dredge chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess.

In a large, nonstick, ovenproof skillet, add 3 Tbsp of olive oil – enough to coat – and sauté chicken in batches over medium-high heat for about two to three minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crisp. Add additional olive oil for each batch as necessary.

When finished, transfer the skillet to a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. Cook for approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside until needed.

While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a sauce pan. Add the garlic and the red pepper and cook for approximately one minute.

Add remaining 1 Tbsp of flour and stir to combine.

Next, add the wine and bring to a boil for one minute. Add the spinach and the cream and bring to a boil. The sauce is done cooking when the spinach becomes wilted. Complete by stirring in the Parmesan cheese.

Partly coat the pasta with the sauce, transfer to a large bowl (or individual dishes) and then top with the chicken, the remaining sauce and extra Parmesan cheese.

Macaroni Grill’s Penne Rustica

Gratinata Sauce
2 tbls butter
2 tbls chopped garlic
1 tbl dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1 cup marsala wine
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream

Penne Rustica
1 oz. pancetta or bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
18 shrimp peeled and deveined
12 oz. grilled chicken breast sliced
4 1/2 cups of above sauce
large bag precooked penne pasta
3 tbls pimentos
6 oz butter
1 tbl chopped shallots
1 pinch salt
1 pinch fresh ground pepper
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp paprika

For the gratinata sauce: saute butter, garlic and rosemary until garlic begins to brown. Add marsala wine and reduce by 1/3. Add remaining ingredients and reduce by half of original volume. Set aside.

For the Penne Rustica: Saute pancetta or bacon until it begins to brown. Add butter, shallots and shrimp. Cook until shrimp are evenly pink but still translucent. Add chicken, salt, pepper and mix thoroughly. Add Gratinata sauce and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and simmer until sauce thickens.

In large bowl, combine shrimp and chicken mixture with precooked pasta. Place this mixture in a large casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and pimentos and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake at 475 for 10-15 minutes

Fettuccine with Cream, Basil and Romano
Ingredients
(4 servings)
4 ea Bacon slices; chopped thick
1/2 c Whipping cream

1 x Or:
1/3 c Basil; chopped fresh
1 x Salt and freshly ground pepp
1 x Romano; freshly grated
4 ea Green onions; chopped
1/2 c Parmesan; freshly grated
1/2 c Romano; freshly grated
1/2 lb Fettuccine
1 x Parmesan; freshly grated
Instructions
Cook bacon in heavy medium skillet over medium heat until beginning to brown. Add green onions and stir until softened, about 1 minute. Add cream and simmer until beginning to thicken, about 1 minute. Mix in 1/2 cup Romano cheese and chopped fresh basil. Meanwhile, cook fettuccine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain well. Return to hot pot. Add sauce and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, passing additional cheese separately. *** My notes: When I made this, I used 1 cup whipping cream, 1/2 cup each Parmesan and Romano, 1 tbsp dried basil, and substituted 4 or 5 thin slices of Prosciutto for the bacon- frying slightly in butter. I used about 6 ounces of “Pesto Linguini”, which is a thinner pasta containing basil. We like LOTS of sauce!