Everybody Cooks!: basil

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Pesto Sauce

Pesto sauce is a very easy dressing to make, and will be whipped up in about 5 minutes.

The following ingredients are for 2 to 4 portions, so feel free to adjust your quantities if you are cooking for more or fewer people, or according to your taste.

You will need:

1 1/4 tablespoons of basil (fresh basil is better, but dry basil works too)
2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese
3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil (If you like your pesto a bit thinner, add another tablespoon of olive oil)

Preparation time: 5 minutes

In a bowl, mix the basil and the parmesan cheese.

Then add the olive oil and give it a good mix.

And voilà, you just made your own pesto sauce! Wasn't that easy!?

You can keep your pesto sauce in the fridge for a few days. But remember to give it a good stir when you take it out of the fridge, before using it.

*Note: You can use your pesto sauce with our Pesto, Cherry Tomato & Chicken Penne Salad recipe.

You can also use it with pasta, chicken, pizzas, or salad dressing.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Pesto, Cherry Tomato & Chicken Penne Salad

With summer just around the corner, let's make this Pesto, Cherry Tomato & Chicken Penne Salad that will accompany your barbecue quite nicely.

It is a very easy recipe to make, and will be whipped up in less than 30 minutes. Just remember that the penne have to rest in the fridge for 45 minutes.

The following ingredients are for 2 to 4 portions, so feel free to adjust your quantities if you are cooking for more or less people, or according to your taste.

You will need:

125 grams of mini-penne pasta*
210 grams of chicken breast tenders, or chicken breast wholes.
15 to 20 cherry tomatoes
1 1/4 tablespoons of basil (fresh basil is better, but dry basil works too)
2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese
3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 7 to 8 minutes

Resting time: At least 45 minutes in the fridge

Start by cooking your pasta per the package's instructions (in my case, it was 7 to 8 minutes for al-dente pasta).

In a pan, pour a bit of olive oil, heat up your pan, and place the chicken breast tenders to cook.

Once one side is cooked, turn the breast to cook the other side.

Turn one more time until you get a nice brown coating.

Let the pieces cool down few minutes, and then cut them into pieces.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half ...

... and if it bothers you like it bothers me, remove the core of the tomatoes.

Prepare your pesto.
In a bowl, mix the basil and the parmesan cheese.

Then add the olive oil and give it a good mix.

By that time, the mini-penne should be cooked.
Strain the pasta into a strainer, and then pour some cold water on it to cool it down.

All your ingredients are now ready to be stored in the fridge, giving at least 45 minutes for your mine-penne to cool down.

It is now time to assemble your salad ...

... which will be only four simple steps.

First, pour your mini-penne in the salad bowl.

Second, add the cherry tomatoes.

Third, add your chicken pieces.

And finally, after giving your pesto a good stir, add it the the salad, and mix. (If you like your pesto a bit thinner, add another tablespoon of olive oil).

And voilà, your Pesto, Cherry Tomato & Chicken Penne Salad is ready.

Now it is time to fire up that barbecue, and enjoy!

*Note: I used mini-penne, because I think it is more pleasant to eat the mini version of the penne with this salad, but feel free to use some other pasta such as elbow macaroni, penne, or bow-tie.

Lemongrass and Basil Chicken Curry

This is a quick and easy curry to whip together when you have that craving anytime during the week; yes, you even have time to make if after you get back from work! A lot of people get scared out of making curries and opt to use pre-made curry mixes in a jar, but this is very easy, and you can control how spicy you would like it to be. As I have made it below, it was not too spicy at all, which really allowed the lemongrass and ginger to come forward and support that fresh basil flavour.

For this dish, serving 2-3 people, you will need:

Half an onion, chopped.
Roughly 1/3 cup of chopped ginger*, or ginger powder.
4 stems of lemongrass.
One clove of garlic, chopped.
Half a cup of basil leaves.
One tablespoon of curry powder.
500 milliliters of chicken stock.
3-4 pieces of chicken, as desired.
One can of coconut milk.
1/3 cup of chopped green chilies (optional).

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

I made my own curry powder for this, using some cayenne pepper, yellow curry powder, paprika, turmeric, and some other pantry staples, but you can pretty much use any store-bought brand. Naturally, the taste of this curry will change depending on the powder you use, and that will also allow you to control the spiciness. You will note that I did not add any chillies! Feel free to chop up about 1/3 cup of green chilies for an awesome flavour kick ... I cannot find good green chilies where I am at the moment, so I had to do without.

Okay, first we need to tackle that lemongrass. If you are using lemongrass powder, just add it with the rest of the curry powder below.

Remove the outer husk of the lemongrass, we aren't going to eat this bit.

Next, chop that lemongrass up into little pieces.

Get your chicken stock to a boil and add the lemongrass directly into it. This will serve two purposes; it will infuse your stock with the lemongrass flavour, and it will soften the lemongrass.

Meanwhile, heat some oil in your skillet or wok.

Add the onions, garlic, and ginger, and fry them until the garlic starts becoming golden brown.

Then add the curry powder to the ginger, garlic, onion mixture and mix it in well.

Once the curry powder is well mixed with the onion, garlic, and ginger, add your chicken to the pan. I had drumsticks left over, so that is what I am using. Normally, I prefer chicken thighs for a curry.