Nothing new about this post. I had intended to make a different kind of pesto but my poor basil plants have gone to flower, cause I’m neglecting them. The big leaves at the bottom are turning yellow and dropping off. At least I’m watering every day which is a necessity in this hot weather and a hot weather alert is coming up again. I made a couple of tasty things while dealing with the visit from the handyman (and his wife and daughter who help out) who is here to weed the worst of the back.
PS: They got 1/2 the lemon curd rolls, all the cherry braid and the rest of the ciabatta bread that I’d baked earlier that day.
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Of course, the classic Genovese pesto of basil, pine nuts, garlic and Parmesan cheese with extra virgin olive oil is familiar to most people but you can mix and match your herbs, the nut used and even the oil.
Basil picked from my plants … FINALLY
For a strong tasting meat, like a leg of lamb, make a pesto with fresh parsley, toasted walnuts and walnut oil if you have it handy … or just a nice neutral vegetable oil like canola. Butterfly your leg of lamb, spread the pesto over the meat, then roll it up, tie it and roast. The pesto will flavour the meat and keep it moist. If you put your leg of lamb on top of some potato wedges, the juices will flavour the potatoes. (Sorry, I dont’ have any pics to share.)
That reminds me. I really need to pick up a leg of lamb.
If you don’t want to buy a whole leg of lamb and butterfly it, pan fried lamb shoulder chops with a mint-cilantro pesto pasta is amazing.
Pesto garlic bread – Combine equal parts softened butter and pesto. Add some grated Parmesan cheese to the mixture as well, if desired. Spread over your favourite crusty bread and place the bread on a baking sheet under the broiler just until the bread is crunchy and the butter is melted
Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta – serves 2
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 3/4-1 inch cubes
1/4 cup whipping cream or chicken broth if you want to watch your calories
2-3 tbsp pesto
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
150-200 gm fettuccine, linguine or spaghetti cooked according to package directions
In a large saute pan, heat up the oil over medium high heat. Saute the chicken cubes until cooked through.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the pesto, whipping cream and cheese. Mix well and add the cooked pasta.
Add salt and pepper as desired.
Serve with crusty bread and a salad.
VEGGIE Add-ins: Steamed broccoli florettes or halved cherry tomatoes sauteed briefly in the same pan, after the chicken was browned. Sauteed pepper strips or sliced mushrooms would also be great.
Cooking is Fun ... Really!! 
That looks like a lovely meal! I usually like to try different combinations of herbs for pesto. Once I made spinach-mint-walnut pesto which tasted fresh and pretty great. Your recipe looks delicious.
Thank you. Your version sounds great. 🙂
What did you put it on or serve it with?
I used it for a pesto penne pasta.
It’s funny: you have reminded me I have been planning a new pesto this week… I love the pesto garlic bread! So simple but must be irresistible…
I think my recently discovered Indian coriander chutney could be treated as a pesto too! There are even nuts inside (peanuts). I make it all the time and even freeze it in small portions.
I’ve used coriander and mint to make chimichurri but never a pesto. I thought cheese was another requirement for a cheese. Some have lemon juice and others don’t. I’ve been debating on trying a sun dried tomato pesto. It also has tomato paste and diced tomatoes in it as well as some basil.