Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water (4¼ cups of water and a heaping teaspoon of salt for every 4 oz of pasta), following the package directions (taste about 2 minutes early), until al dente.
StovePot
💡The water should taste like a seasoned soup, not like sea water: a heaping teaspoon of salt per liter. Add the salt once the water is boiling.
2
Reserve cup of the cooking water before draining.
LadleorMeasuring cup
💡The cooking water is starchy: a spoonful or two binds the sauce to the pasta or the gnocchi and makes it glossy.
3
Drain.
Colander
For the Pesto
4
Grind the leaves in a food processor with the nuts, garlic, salt and black pepper.
Food processor
💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
5
Add the Parmesan and grind.
Food processor
6
Add the olive oil in a thin stream, while Tahini, until to a smooth sauce.
Food processor
💡Pesto keeps in the fridge about two weeks in a closed jar, covered with a layer of olive oil. The top layer darkens from the air, and that doesn't mean it has spoiled.
💡The thin stream is everything: fat that goes in too fast can't bind, and the sauce breaks. For mayonnaise and hollandaise, if this happens, start with a fresh yolk and slowly add the broken sauce to it; if the sauce is too thick, thin it with a teaspoon of water.
To assemble
7
Cut the chicken breast into thin strips and season with salt and black pepper.
KnifeCutting board
8
Heat the olive oil in a wide pan and fry the chicken strips 5–6 minutes, until golden. Remove and set aside.
StoveFrying pan
💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
9
Add the garlic and fry 1 minute, until fragrant.
Stove
💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
10
Take the skillet off the heat, add the pasta and the pesto with a little of the cooking water, and toss until the sauce coats the pasta.
Frying pan
💡Don't heat pesto on the stove: heat turns the basil black. The heat of the pasta and the cooking water is enough.
11
Return the chicken strips, sprinkle the Parmesan and basil leaves on top and serve immediately.
804calories
43 gprotein
74 gcarbs
36 gfat
● protein 22%● carbs 37%● fat 41%
Per serving, servings (calculated for this version)
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Stove· 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Portable hot plate (one weaker burner) · Camping gas stove (One burner, outdoors) · Electric pressure cooker (multicooker) (One pot, no real shallow frying)
Frying pan· Also works: Wok (None)· 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Pot (High sides, slow evaporation and weak browning)
Pot· Also works: Deep skillet (sauté pan) (less liquid, faster evaporation)· 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Wok (For quick cooking)
Cutting board· Also works: Plate (Large plate, dulls the knife)
Knife· Also works: Food processor (Fast, less control over size) · Kitchen shears (For herbs/dough)
Colander· Also works: Lid (a lid held slightly open over the sink, you lose a little) · Slotted spoon (for small amounts)
Ladle or Measuring cup· one of them
By the steps, as the recipe is built now: another version or addition can change the list.
