Creamy Pesto Pasta

I went to the Farmers Market at Shaw and Blackstone this morning. When I walked in the area I smelt basil. I love the smell of basil and decided that I needed to make something with basil in it tonight. So I made a creamy chicken pesto pasta.

The ingredients I use for my pesto sauce.

Pesto sauce

Creamy pesto pasta


Recipe:

1 bunch basil
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup white wine
chicken or shrimp
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Get your pasta going. You can use penne, fettucine or whatever you like or have on hand.
2. If you are using chicken you can grill it, use precooked chicken or cook it in a skillet with salt and pepper.
3. For the cream sauce. Add 2 tbsp of evoo into a sautee pan and add 2 cloves of garlic and simmer. Add your white wine and reduce for a couple of minutes. Add your heavy cream and simmer. While that is simmering start your pesto sauce.
4. In a food processor or blender, add 1/2 to 3/4 of your basil depending how big the bunch is, add your pine nuts, 2 cloves garlic and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Add a little evoo. Place the lid on and blend, streaming more evoo while blending until it is a nice consistency. I like a little bits of nuts etc.. in it, so I don't blend it all the way.
5. Add 1/2 cup parmesan to your cream sauce, when the parmesan cheese is melted add your diced chicken to warm through. When the pasta is done add the pasta to the cream sauce. At the end, pour your pesto into the pasta and cream sauce and mix with the heat off. Just mix well and serve.