a momentous day in the kitchen

...that's right, people.

Jonny and I attempted, and succeeded...at making our very own Pesto. With fresh basil, from our very own garden.

We are both pesto lovers, and have had it on our minds since we planted our little 'basil bush' in our back yard a few weeks ago. I have made an arugula pesto before, but wasn't too taken with its bitterness. So I was very excited to try it with good ole real time basil.

Pesto and us...we go way back.

One of our first dates involved making dinner together in my apartment. The main course? Pesto chicken pasta! Which we shared out of a huge bowl.

And, one of our favorite memories of our trip to Italy last year was going to a small grocery store in Venice where we bought some crunchy breadsticks and a small jar of pesto...then sat on the stone floor of a winding side street, with our feet hanging over the glassy green water of a canal...and sharing this tasty dinner together. We licked that jar clean, laughed at ourselves and shared a garlicy Italian kiss.

!

How we did it:

1. get a sweet basil plant from a wonderful friend, and plop it in the ever-loving rich ground of the midwest.

(let it be known: i am not using the word 'sweet' in my california-dude voice. i am distinguishing our plant from other basil plants such as lemon basil, Thai basil, holy basil, etc.)

2. water it occasionally.

3. wait a while.

4. when your tummy's a rumblin' and you have some time to spare, go out there with some kitchen scissors and trim/hack at will.

5. try not to kill your sweet basil plant. you'll want to use it again, trust us.

6. make pesto in your kitchen. (cute sleeping dog optional)

We started with this recipe, and adapted it. It was fantastic!

Fresh Pesto

3 cups fresh basil leaves chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 1/2 cups toasted walnuts, chopped

1/4 c parmesan cheese

tiny squeeze of lemon juice

1/2 c olive oil

1/2 c chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

Toast the walnuts on an ungreased pan in the oven at 375 for 10-15 minutes.

Put it all in a blender or food processor and mix well, adding the liquids gradually.

Notes:

• (we don't have a food processor, so we used a blender. it worked fine along with some major frequent stirring)
• (don't skip the toasting part. it makes a world of difference. we used walnuts instead of the traditional pinenuts because we are cheap, but it still turned out fabulous.)
• (this made a thicker, paste-like pesto. if you want it thinner, just add more olive oil.- we substituted half the olive oil with chicken broth to cut down on fat content and add more flavor.)

Pesto is so versatile. You can use it as a spread for sandwiches or on meat. You can also use a few spoonfuls on some steaming pasta and stir it in for a light sauce. This is what we had:

Pesto Chicken

4 thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 tbs olive oil

tomatoes

fresh pesto

parmesan cheese

*mozzarella cheese

Pour the olive oil into a glass baking dish, add chicken on top.

Put a dollop of pesto on each breast, and spread.

Add thin slices of tomato and parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered at 375 for approx. 45 minutes.

Notes:

• (mmm! ours turned out juicy and so flavorful.)
• (serve with garden rotini- mixed with pesto! and garlic toast.)
• * We didn't have mozzarella, but a melty slice of that would have completed this savory dish.