I hella fucked this up, because that pasta didn’t cook without breaking apart while stirring so it wouldn’t stick together. Every other flavor was on point. Recipe here:
Chicken Pesto & Tomato Confit Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz. dry spaghetti
- Salt
- Finely Ground Pepper
- 3 cups (slightly packed, 65g) fresh basil leaves
- Cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup grated (35g) parmesan
- 1/4 cup (36g) pine nuts (toasted or raw)
- 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup pasta water, divided
- Chicken breast
Instructions
- Cook chicken by washing, patting dry, rubbing with olive oil and seasoning with salt to your taste and a generous coat of finely-ground pepper; place in pre-heated oven at 425º until internal temperature reaches 165º. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes before carving.
- Cook tomato confit by slicing cherry tomatoes in half and sautéing in small skillet over medium-low heat until slightly soft.
- Cook spaghetti in salted water and a splash of olive oil to al dente. Before draining be sure to reserve the 1/2 cup pasta water.
- Make pesto sauce: To a 7-cup food processor add basil leaves, parmesan, pine nuts and garlic. Cover with lid and pulse in short bursts until finely minced.
- Scrape down food processor. Cover, then with food processor running pour olive oil in through the feed tube of the lid. Don’t over-process, just blend.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Drain pasta, reserving some pasta water: Drain pasta once al dente then add to a large serving bowl. Pour in 1/4 cup pasta water and toss. Let it cool 1 – 2 minutes.
- Toss pasta and pesto: Add all of the pesto and toss. Thin with up to 1/4 cup more pasta water as desired and garnish with more parmesan and pine nuts if desired.
