Pistou:
n. A sauce made of garlic, basil, olive oil, and often Parmesan, used on pasta or in soups and stews.
Pistou is to the French what
pesto is to Italians. Yum. How can you go wrong with those ingredients plus a bit of heavy cream? You can't. I adapted a recipe I found
here and came up with a delicious & different pasta dish for my family. It was wonderful...plus I got to use some of the zucchini(s) that have been sitting on my counter for far too long.
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 chicken breasts, sliced
3 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices small zucchini
1 cup packed basil leaves
3/4 cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion (about 1small)
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta (I used about 10-12 oz)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender and golden. Remove from pan; cool.
Place 1/3 of cooked zucchini, basil leaves, 1/4 cup cheese and garlic in a food processor (or blender); process until finely chopped. (Keep mixture in processor.)
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook sliced chicken until nearly done. Add onion to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until golden. Add remaining cooked zucchini.
Meanwhile, throw some water & salt in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid.
Add reserved liquid to basil mixture; combine until smooth. Add basil mixture to pasta. Everything is now in the pan except the cream & remaining salt, pepper & cheese.) Add cream, remaining salt, and pepper; stir. Top with remaining cheese. Serve.
