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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Tomato Mozzarella and Pesto Tartins

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Tomato mozzarella and pesto tartins are delectable appetizers which you can serve for cocktails or dinners. These fancy bites are easy to make. You can prepare them ahead of time and load them in the oven just before serving.

 

Makes 24 pieces

Ingredients:

6 small, ripe Roma tomatoes

1 1/2 sheets frozen ready-rolled puff pastry, partially thawed

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1/3 cup pesto

1/4 lb. fresh mozzarella

 

Preheat oven at 220C and lightly grease a 12-hole muffin pan. Cut twenty-four 4cm rounds of baking paper and use them to line the pan bases.

Next, trim the ends of the tomatoes. Cut them in 0.5cm thick slices. Put a slice of tomato in each hole.

With a 5cm round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut 24 rounds from the thawed pastry sheets. Brush one side of a pastry sheet round with egg white and then place them egg side down over the tomato slice in the pan. Repeat this for the remaining ingredients.

Place the pan in the oven and bake it for ten to twelve minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Loosen each tartin using a flat knife and put them tomato side up on a plate. Remove the baking paper and top them with a slice of mozzarella. Spoon some pesto on top and season them with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

 

Image from daveyll

Creamy Pesto Pork Pasta

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I have never tried pork with pasta, so this recipe really caught my fancy. It is creamily delicious! The union of pesto and cream is perfect, plus the pork’s tasty juices make it more mouthwatering.

Chili flakes can also be added to this dish for to liven it up. Vegetables like broccoli florets would be an amazing addition as well.

 

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2 lbs. pork tenderloin

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup pesto

1 cup whipped cream or half and half

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

1 lb. spaghetti noodles

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Combine the salt, pepper and garlic in a small bowl. Mix well. Rub it onto the pork tenderloin and allow the flavors to infuse for an hour or up to overnight.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the pork for 4-6 minutes per side or until it is browned. Remove the oil in the pan and reserve some of the oil.

Pour the water into the pan and set the heat to high. Bring it to a boil. After, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 10-5 minutes or until the pork is tender and the liquid is reduced to 1/4. Remove the pork from the pan and let it cool completely.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions or until al dente. Drain. Place the noodles back into the pot and drizzle it with olive oil. Toss until the noodles are coated in oil, so that they won’t stick to each other.

When the pork is cool, slice it thinly. After, heat the olive oil in the saucepan and add another 2 tablespoons of reserved oil. Fry the sliced pork for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Add the pesto and cream. Season it with salt and pepper and cook it for another 2 minutes. You may add water if the mixture is too thick.

Place the pasta in the pan and mix well. Transfer it to a serving plate or individual plates. Top with the remaining Parmesan cheese before serving. Serve immediately with bread.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:  FotoosVanRobin

Chicken and Pesto Stuffed Pasta Shells

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This delectable pasta dish is ideal for parties or dinners. The trinity of pasta, minced chicken and pesto give off a wonderful flavor. Serve it with a creamy soup and some greens to make a hearty meal.

Ricotta or cream cheese would also be good additions to this delicious recipe. Others also prefer topping the stuffed shells with sauce before baking.

 

Ingredients:

20 dried giant pasta shells

2 tablespoons oil

2 leeks, sliced thinly

500g chicken mince

1 tablespoon plain flour

1 cup chicken stock

1/3 cup chopped pimiento

1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese

Melted butter or oil for greasing

For the pesto:

1 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup pine nuts

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup olive oil

 

Preheat the oven at 180C and then grease a shallow baking dish with melted butter or oil.

Next, cook the pasta shells in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions or until al dente. Add some oil and stir once in a while to prevent sticking. Drain and then place the shells in the greased baking dish.

Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir-fry the leeks for 2 minutes or until soft. Add the minced chicken and cook it for 4-6 minutes until the liquid evaporates and it is browned. Break up the mince using a wooden spoon as you cook it. Stir in the flour, pimiento and chicken stock. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil. After, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 2-4 minutes or until the liquid is reduced and it thickens.

To prepare the pesto, all you have to do is place the basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Process it for 30 seconds or until the mixture is smooth.  Let it cool and place it in a jar or sealed container.

Place some minced chicken into the cooked pasta shells and return them into the greased baking dish. Top the shells with a spoonful of pesto and grated cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake the pasta shells for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and then transfer the shells to a serving plate or individual plates. Serve warm.

 

Macadamia Nut Pesto

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A trip to Hawaii is incomplete without macadamia nuts. It is a tasty and healthy treat. The nuts are available roasted, salted and covered with chocolate. There is no need to be guilty when indulging in macadamia because they contain high levels of monosaturated fatty acids, which help reduce the risk of heart disease.

It is also interesting to know that macadamia nuts originated in Australia. William Herbert Purvis brought some seeds from Queensland and planted them in Kukuihaele in 1882. After that, more and more people started planting this crop. Hawaii is now the largest producer of this healthy nuts.

Ingredients:

250g spaghetti noodles

2 cups basil leaves, washed

1 cup unsalted macadamias

5 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 cup macadamia oil

3/4 cup grated parmesan

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup cream (optional)

chopped toasted macadamias (for garnish)

In a blender, combine the basil leaves, garlic, macadamia nuts and half of the oil.  Blend for 2 minutes or until the ingredients are processed. Add the parmesan cheese and pour in the rest of the oil. Blend for another 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Store it in an airtight jar or container if desired.

In a pot, boil water and add a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of cooking oil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions and drain. Transfer to a bowl.

Combine the pasta and the sauce. Toss until the noodles are coated with pesto. Add cream if you want a creamier sauce.

Serve on a plate and garnish with toasted macadamias.

Photo Courtesy Of: __Wichid__

Make It Yourself: Pesto

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Make Pesto at Home

Once you make your own pesto at home, you will never again buy pesto in a jar, bottle, or tube. I guarantee it. Making pesto is so unbelievably simple- see the photo above? That’s all you need to start making pesto. Really.

Like most simple recipes, of course, it matters that you use the best ingredients possible. In the case of pesto, this means fresh, bright green basil, young garlic, good extra virgin olive oil, parmigiano reggiano, and the freshest pine nuts you can buy.

Pine nuts, by the way, go rancid horrifyingly fast- so you probably don’t want to use that bag you’ve had in your pantry for a year. Get fresh, well-packed pine nuts. And if you can’t, use walnuts. Or pecans.

On to the pesto making: I like to use a mortar and pestle mostly (after all, pestle and pesto are derived from the same word, “pesta”, which means “to pound”) but have been known to pull out the trusty food processor- especially when there’s company for dinner and/or we’re making a lot of pesto.

Finally, here is my no-fail, you’ll-never-use-store-bought-again pesto recipe. Mix it with pasta, serve as a dip… you know what to do with it.

Pesto

3 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (or, use regular Parmesan or Romano)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts, walnuts or pecans
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Start by pounding the basil leaves and pine nuts together. Add (in this order) the garlic, olive oil, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Either buzz this all in the food processor, or grind in your mortar with pestle.

And that’s it! This pesto keeps beautifully in the fridge.