I Ate The Chocodile

Meal planning often starts with a trip to the produce section, to see what’s fresh. If the zucchini are small, green and firm, you can bet that they’re going into my cart. If they’re gigantic, spongy and blemished, I’ll opt for something else, and begin to build my recipe around that. On one such recent trip to the market, I discovered something that fit all of my criteria…

“Living Basil.” Produced locally at Cal-Ann Farms in Basehor, Kansas, it consisted of an open-topped cellophane package brimming with two stalks of fresh basil, with the peat-wrapped roots intact. It was green and abundant, and a mere fifty cents more than the wilting 1 oz package of the same herb. I was soon salivating as visions of the pesto-to-be danced through my head, and thus, tonight’s dinner was born…

Chicken Breasts with Fresh Basil and Pine Nut Pesto

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/8 cup pine nuts, plus 1 Tbsp for sprinkling
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup fresh basil
Olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor, combine garlic, pine nuts, and parmesan and blend until a thick paste is formed. Add the basil and pulse to combine, scraping the sides as needed. Gradually stream in the olive oil and blend to desired consistency. For this application, I left the pesto quite coarse and rustic, as I am trying to limit my intake of oils, and also enjoy the texture that it creates in the oven.

Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper, then rub each side gently with the pesto mixture and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle the tops with the reserved pine nuts, and bake at 375 for 1 hour.

I sliced the leftovers to make a Mediterranean chicken salad for lunch the next day, with romaine lettuce, Roma tomatoes, diced seedless cucumbers, Kalamata olives and sundried tomato Feta.

Broccoli with Garlic and Basil Oil

2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
Splash of basil oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Blanch broccoli florets until bright-colored and just al dente. Chill immediately in ice water to prevent overcooking. Preheat a large skillet to medium-high heat, add the olive oil and garlic and sweat until mostly translucent. Add the cooled broccoli back into the pan, tossing to coat and reheat. Season with salt and pepper, and a splash of basil infused olive oil. The hint of basil flavor really perks up this side dish, giving the broccoli an amazingly fresh and “green” taste.

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