PESTO'N AN 'UN-PESTO'D' @ NIGELLA @ I HEART COOKING CLUBS...

Exotic destinations :) greece. . .israel. . .scotland. . Spain. . .big apple(hi joanne), hawai(ola deb). .brazil(ola vinni), portugal.(isabel bejinhos). . prague......bahamas(Joanne pops in a hi w tiffany frm her cruiseliner). . . . N italy(NW NW Joanne pops again as an 8yr old doll). . .

So lets stop at italy and begin about some gorgeous italian food shall we. . .pastas and linguine. .

 Olives n oilve oils . . . .garlic n herbs. . . .luscious sauces n tomato based ones. . .sun dried tomatoes e jalpenos. . .and and and. . . . .the bestest of 'em al. .pinenuts e basil w a sprinkling of sea salt n garlic. . . .n olive oil..mama mia A PESTO. .

So for this week @ I HEART COOKING CLUBS for the theme EXOTIC DESTINATIONS...I couldn look further than italian exoticness cuisine unfolded..begining with a pesto....

All that said i think something really special is equal to exotic for me would be being closer to the north pole for the winters and during holidays and yeah wouldn santa land be the best of em all. . . Where i can actually sing. . . Snow is falling. . And binge on hot chocolate with vanilla and marshmellows...

stuffed one whole fish with pesto..opened it after grilling n grilled with the filled side opened again...i love the pairing of the pomo seeds-brings about a welcome sweetness and with a squeeze of lime...perfeto...

And more often than not ,im happier where i am and for me the best holidays are loaded with being around my family ,a cold terrain(as in the weather ie)and loving every moment be it exploring the place,shopping for momemtos alike(well thats a rather long list here...),exploring the exotic cuisine....or sleeping(ofcourse there are loads of things we do on hols but more on that later...)....

(the calm seas above-and the trees swaying in delite at the warm sea breeze)

I love and enjoy where we live now though it does get warm at times but then what are the air conditioners for....and its beautiful here....(ok i cant even find a few wilton or any decent sprinkles and silicone cup cake moulds(heart shaped)and cookie cutters and those fancy icing tolls here(not even the basic disposable bags yet...but have got a lead and maybe richer with my goody bags jus in time for valentines baking...)

a flower i jus shot on sun along the highway...

And from the first time in dec i cooked up this nigella delight have had requests sice..and our sunday dinner saw us with loads of grilled fish and mussels with mushrooms...all pesto'd -pairs fantastically with a tossed salad and pasta...

and last night again for dinner we had chicken pesto'd with pasta.
The pics with the main recipe are my first hand at it and i begin with seafood &  and will have the chicken inbetween with the mushrooms and below.....exotica itself-pesto'd mussels....

Only Nigella Lawson can 'unpesto' a pesto sauce-oh she's adorable with all that conjures up in her kitchen......

But here i am about to 'pesto' her 'un-pesto' ,linguinne pasta...

I love a lingine pasta-our current hot fav(the last hot were the large 'shelly' pasta as i loved to call 'em)

And combine that with a pesto and some fresh chicken and u have some yummy dinner going....

Its been awhile i wanna whip up a pesto and since we are cooking NIGELLA(oh am so gald am a part),i tend to look out more than i ever did for Nigella's dinner ideas.

And thanx to IHCC ,me will get down to replicating all of the fun that happens in nigella's kitchen...

And yeah before u begin dont forget to move ur 'music' ,as in only carols now with a tango thrown in my playlist,to the kitchen.....(WHIPPED this one up in dec)

I love to jiggle and hop around to a tune while cutting up a salad or stir frying a veggie for dinner or lunch or breakfast or a snack(d other way round...).....

Ok ok ,we are far from the high way again arent we....trust me to steer away,thank GoD aint driving at the moment...so steering back to the pesto(have absolutely fresh basil at hand),browsed around for Nigella's pesto,wanted a chicken with linguine...

and yeah found this 'UNPESTO'DD PESTO' so i turned it around and pestoed it-perfect....

and added some chicken for a complete hearty begining that ended with hot choco-cafe & brownies.....

My not very wide spectrum of knowledge of pesto is that ,though pine nuts are the main nuts traditionally used(i have some yummy mix of pinenuts soaked in a little jar in olive oil,vinegar,whole and crushed garlic,pepper,sugar & i dont know what...i fixed this mix many a weeks back and its delightfull-must sit with the jar,pic it and write an article but in next year that'll be,oh yeah new years jus a few days ago)

this is a portion of chicken,which i fried in olive oil ,instead of grilling...honestly could do w/o the extra oil...no difference both are great if (the grilled version above )not better...

ADAPTED FROM THE KITCHENS OF THE GORGEOUS NIGELLA LAWSON

FOR THE PESTO SAUCE.
2 bunches Basil leaves only
1/2 cup cashewnuts/walnuts/pinenuts or a mix
14 cloves of garlic(almst or rather a whole bulb)
1 c extra virgin olive oil.
1)bLItz the nuts,garlic and basil,in a blender,and in a stream add olive oil,like u would fo myo kinda.
Add parmesan cheese(1/4 cup)
MARINATE SOME SEASONED WITH SALT AND CRUSHED PEPPER CHICKEN WITH SOME OF THE PESTO SAUCE...

AND EITHER BAKE OR grill as i did and put all the marinade with a little in a pan and bring to a boil and simmer for awhile for a thick gravy.

the cut mushrooma marinated in the pesto,a few hours before i grilled 'em...

marinated mushrooms grilled just right.......

and few grilled crisp for the crispy lovers like me.....

2)FOR THE PASTA
---LINGUINIE COOKED AS PER DIRECTIONS
---1/4 CUP OLIVE OIL
---7 CLOVES GARLIC
---1/4 CUP PINE NUTS LIGHTLY TAOSTED
---A FEW BASIL LEAVES TORN
---LOADS OF GRATED PARMESAN


***HEat oil ,add the garlic& FRESH RED CHILLIES and toss around till the aromas fill the air and dont take too long a break to enjoy the heady aroma-----coz u need to toss in the pasta now and coat evry slippery strand w the
aromatic garlic oil....

(HERE I HAD A TWEAK COZ STIR FRIED ZUCHINNI,MUSHROOMS,PEPPERS,BABY CORN & CARROTS IN THIS OIL AND TOSSED ALL THE LINGUINE INTO THIS YUMMY FRAGRANT MEELLEE)
***tansfer to a warm bowl,sprinkle with basil,pinenuts & parmesan,leaving some for garnish..toss well

***Keep warm with a silver foil or to serve make a bed of the pasta tossed in flavoured oil w veggies(if using) and scoop in some pesto  gravy IN THE MIDDLE &chicken around the middle.

garnish with the rest of the basil,pine nuts and parmesan...

and here the marinated mussels pesto'd and grilled to perfection....

.......fingerlicking good........perfect with any pasta or mashed potato or as they are....

a very lovely post with perfect pictures awaits u at I HEART COOKING CLUBS,by Natashya(i so love what u did...amazing and yeah inspiring too!!!) and if ur looking foward as muc as i am to what the rest of the gang will cook up (more drooling...more recipes)this week head over to EXOTIC DESTINATIONS ...right HERE in the comfort of ur home...and that said my home always is where my heart is and my heart is with family and i make every destination home= love,peace,joy bubbling and skipping along with a gay heart and bursting laughter on my lips.....come fall in love......