Tag: Basil

Dinners

Recipe—Bruschetta Chicken

Diva di Cucina

Tomatoes and basil are like an Italian match made in heaven. You can almost guarantee that anything made with those two ingredients will be amazing. One of my favorite ways to bring them together is in a classic bruschetta made up of tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil. So simple but so damn good! Now imagine that fresh bruschetta spooned over a juicy chicken breast smothered in zesty pesto and a layer of melted mozzarella cheese. That my friends, is one hell of a tasty main dish for dinner.

I like to just eat this chicken on it’s own but with the carb monsters I live with, I tend to serve it for them with a side of rice pilaf or over a bed of pasta alfredo. This recipe is so easy to put together, but it looks fancy enough, that you can totally serve it for dinner guests.

BAKED CHICKEN INGREDIENTS
3–4 boneless skinless chicken breast
salt & pepper
1 c pesto
2 c mozzarella, shredded

BRUSCHETTA INGREDIENTS
2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
8–10 basil leaves, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

STEPS

  • Preheat the oven to 400º.
  • Place the chicken breasts in a lightly greased baking dish and season both sides with salt and pepper.
  • Spread the pesto over the tops of the chicken breasts and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.
  • Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked completely through and mozzarella is just starting to brown up.
  • While the chicken is cooking, combine all the bruschetta ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
  • When the chicken is done cooking, transfer them to a plate and finish with a big scoop of that fresh bruschetta.
Sauces

Recipe—Basil Pesto Sauce

Diva di Cucina

If you follow me on Instagram, you have probably seen my backyard pride and joy, my little garden. One of the first springs in our home I had my dad and husband build me this big, beautiful redwood garden box. It has been a couple of years of figuring out what grows good and what doesn’t. Tomatoes, zucchini and pesto thrive during the hot California summer months.  

Well, this year by spry little basil plants turned into full on basil bushes in a matter of a couple of weeks. They were thick, tall, and bushy and I knew they had to be harvested before they went to flower and became bitter and tough. Homemade pesto coming right up!

While I absolutely love store bought pesto nothing beats the freshness of making your own. It can be a little pricey with the cost of pine nuts, quality parmesan, and extra virgin olive oil but it is absolutely worth it! Plus, it is so easy to make. Load all the ingredients in the blender, and blend!

With how much basil I harvested I actually made a massive batch but you certainly don’t need to make that much at a time unless you are sitting on a big basil harvest yourself. The recipe below is written for a single batch.

One thing that is really great about pesto is that it freezes great! I proportion it out into larger containers for pasta dinners and then smaller containers that work great for pizza sauce like when I make my Shrimp Pesto Pizza. 

What makes my pesto unique is I like to add some fresh lemon juice to the mix. I find it helps serve as a natural preservative, gives it a great flavor, and also helps to keep the vibrant green color.

INGREDIENTS
2 c basil leaves, packed
3/4 c parmesan cheese, shredded
1 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
juice from one lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 pepper

STEPS

  • Combine all the ingredients in the blender and blend string periodically if needed.
  • Add additional olive oil if you need more liquid to blend.
Salads, Side Dishes

Recipe—Summertime Marinated Tomatoes

Diva di Cucina

Summertime Marinated Tomatoes

Summertime means my garden is going nuts and producing more tomatoes than we can get through in a day. No joke. I am sometimes getting 4–5 huge ripe tomatoes a day! I love it! You just can’t beat the smell and flavor of a tomato that has been able to fully ripen on the vine. Even if you go to the grocery store or farmers market, the smell of fresh tomatoes wafts through the air. That is the smell of summer!

The other day I was looking at a pile of 10–12 tomatoes on the counter that needed to be eaten within the day and I knew just what to do with them. Marinade them! The marinade for this recipe is out of this world! The red wine vinegar really brings out the flavors of the tomatoes and then you get all these great flavors from the fresh herbs and garlic. I mean seriously, just look at that layer of herbs over the top of the tomatoes!

Summertime Marinated Tomatoes

These make for a great side dish with some grilled meat or even as a salad. I served it with some garlic bread and it was so good to soak up all those yummy tomato juices, olive oil, and vinegar with the bread. This recipe is for sure a summertime staple as it is so easy to make and I am all about cooking with what is in season.

Notes:

  • The key to this recipe is making sure to marinade the tomatoes at room temperature for at the very least 2 hours. You MUST let them marinade! The tomatoes need time to soak up all the red wine and herb flavors.
  • Do not refrigerate as the texture and natural flavor of the tomatoes will change.
  • Consume within 6–8 hours of marinating.
  • If you want to prepare in advance, just make the marinade ahead of time and store in a jar in your refrigerator until 3 hours before you plan to serve. Then pour the chilled marinade over the tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS
5 or 6 extra-large tomatoes, cut into 1/2″ slices
2/3 c extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 c red wine vinegar
4 tbsp red onion, minced
2 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
2 tbsp basil, chopped
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

STEPS

  • Arrange the sliced tomatoes in a shallow serving dish.
  • Combine all the remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
  • Pour the marinade over the tomatoes.
  • Cover the dish with a lid or saran wrap.
  • Allow the tomatoes to rest/marinade at room temperature for 2–3 hours.
  • Enjoy!
Dinners

Recipe—Italian Chicken Dinner

Diva di Cucina

If you have tried this recipe before you may have noticed an update. After making this recipe dozens of times I recently started adding Italian sweet peppers and it really takes this to the next level. I have updated the photo and recipe to reflect this change. Hope you enjoy!

Recipe—Italian Chicken Dinner

I first tried this recipe about two months ago and have since made it at least 6 times tweaking it a little bit each time. IT HAS BECOME ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVES! We are actually having it again this week. It is perfect for this summer fully utilizing all those fresh tomatoes and basil. Most of my recipes are for a main dish or a side dish but this one is actually an entire meal. All of the components of this dish are just amazing! You have a flavorful juicy roasted chicken breast, sweet caramelized tomatoes that are literally bursting with flavor, and then the salty creamy fresh mozzarella with a nice little kick of heat from crushed red peppers, and then of course to balance it out you have some hearty brown rice simmered in chicken broth. Is your mouth watering now? Mine is! All these flavors are just so amazing together! Depending on the brown rice you get, this dinner takes about 45 minutes from start to finish and it is worth every minute of it!

Note: You can use fresh mozzarella in any form. I have used both the sliced mozzarella log as well as the little mozzarella balls. This makes a dinner that will serve 3–4 people. 

INGREDIENTS
1 c uncooked brown rice
2–2 1/2 c chicken broth (amount depends on the brown rice you purchase)
3 c cherry tomatoes
10–12 Italian sweet peppers, tops cut off
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
Italian seasoning
salt & pepper
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 c fresh basil leaves, chopped

STEPS

  • Cook the brown rice per the package instructions but substitute chicken broth for water.
  • While the rice is cooking preheat the oven to 400º.
  • Place the cherry tomatoes and peppers in a large baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Toss to coat.
  • Season both sides of the chicken breasts with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and place in the baking dish.
  • Bake the tomatoes, peppers, and chicken for about 25 minutes or until the tomatoes have just started to burst and the chicken is done.
  • While the rice, chicken, and tomatoes are cooking prepare the mozzarella.
  • Place the mozzarella in a small bowl and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with red pepper flakes and salt.
  • Once all the components of the dish are ready, plate the rice, chicken, blistered tomatoes, peppers, mozzarella, and top with chopped basil.
Salads

Recipe—Pomegranate Pear Salad with Goat Cheese

Diva di Cucina

When people typically think of big fresh salads they think of summer. Salads are perfect year round if you know how to incorporate fresh seasonal produce. Well here is a perfect fall salad recipe. It is bright, colorful, and bursting with flavor. The flavors all complement each other really nicely. The sweetness of the fruit, richness of the goat cheese, nuttiness from the walnuts, and the bite of the basil create a perfect flavor symphony. This may even be making one of my holiday dinner menus this year.

Note: Many grocery stores now sell containers of the pomegranate seeds all cleaned and ready to use. If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of removing the seeds yourself this can be a great time saver.

DRESSING INGREDIENTS
1/4 c pomegranate juice (I use POM)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp brown sugar
fresh ground pepper

SALAD INGREDIENTS
6 c (9 oz bag) fresh spinach
2–4 oz goat cheese
1/2 c walnuts or pecans
1–2 pears, cored and sliced
1 pomegranate, seeded
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped

STEPS

  • Whisk together all dressing ingredients.
  • Toss the spinach with the dressing.
  • Crumble the goat cheese over the salad.
  • Top with walnuts, pear slices, pomegranate seeds, and fresh basil.
  • Serve immediately.
Dinners

Recipe—Limoncello Chicken

Diva di Cucina

After making two batches of fresh squeezed lemonade with lemons from my sister’s garden I still had some leftover. Lucky for you I made my limoncello chicken and decided to share the recipe. This recipe is so refreshing and light, perfect for summer.

Limoncello is a sweet and citrusy Italian liqueur. When you heat the liqueur the alcohol is cooked off and you are left with a sweet sauce that compliments the basil perfectly. Whatever you do, do not skip the fresh basil! Something about the flavors of the lemon and basil just work together perfectly. This dish pairs wonderfully with cooked rice. Limoncello chicken and rice was actually one of my son’s first non-pureed foods that he ate as an infant. He gobbled every bite of it up. Even the basil! Since then we have called him our little gourmet. It is still to this day one of his favorites. This recipe will be a hit with the whole family so don’t be surprised if they ask you to make it again, and again, and again. Good thing limoncello comes in such big bottles! In Italy limoncello is commonly served after dinner because it supposedly aids in digestion so pour yourself an after dinner sipping shot, kickback, and enjoy. Bottoms up!

INGREDIENTS
4–5 thin sliced chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
flour for dredging
1 tbsp butter
1 c chicken broth
1/2 c limoncello (lemon liqueur)
1 lemon, sliced and seeds removed
fresh basil leaves

STEPS

  • Season your chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
  • Dredge the breast with flour giving them a nice even coating.
  • Melt the butter in a large skillet and add chicken.
  • Cook over medium heat until both sides are a golden brown.
  • Add chicken broth, limoncello, and lemon slices.
  • Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
  • Using the back of a spoon gently press the lemon slices to release any extra juices and remove from the pan. (Or you can save the cooked slices to serve with the chicken for an extra touch.)
  • Remove the chicken breasts from the skillet.
  • Turn heat up to medium-high and allow the sauce to simmer and thicken for a couple of minutes.
  • Remove pan from heat.
  • Spoon the limoncello sauce over the chicken (and rice if you made it) and top with fresh-snipped basil.