A Tour of Italy

The first cuisine that I taught myself to cook was Italian. For some recipes I researched about the ingredients that I would be using in my dishes, and for others I just cooked with my imagination as my guide. Through lots of trial and error, and help from the Master Chef (God) I have been able to create some really delicious Italian dishes. I love everything about Italy; it's culture, it's art, the language, and of course the food.

I want to take you all through a "Tour of Italy" this recipe was inspired by one basic Italian ingredient...basil

I call it...
Basilico Pomodoro Parmigiano Pasta
- This is a warm pasta salad bound together cohesively with basil pesto, sun dried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese.

Basil Pesto Ingredients:
- fresh basil leaves
- pine nuts or walnuts
- salt and pepper
- Parmesan or Romano cheese

I really like this basil pesto recipe from http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fresh_basil_pesto/ 

 

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Special equipment needed: A food processor Method

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

The other ingredients you will need for this dish are:

• 1 1/2  cup Elbow Pasta
• 2 tbs of butter
• 1/2 cup of Sundried Tomatoes
• 3 tbs Parmesan Cheese
• Buffalo Sauce to taste

Let's Get Cooking:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat ( NOTE: drizzle olive oil in it to ensure that the pasta will not stick to the pot)  Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta to the pot stirring occasionally. The pasta should take approximately 10-12 minutes. When the alotted amount of time has past, quickly drain the pasta under cold water to stop the cooking process, put it back into the pot and add to it the 2 tablespoons of butter. Next prepare the basil pesto with the recipe above. Once completed, pour over top of the pasta and heat through over low heat. Then add the sundried tomatoes, 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese and buffalo sauce to taste to the basil pesto pasta. Once the cheese has melted all the way through the dish, plate and serve hot.

Piace Mangiare