Basil Cream Sauce Pasta with Chicken

Basil Cream Sauce Pasta with Chicken

When visiting the market the other day I found myself the lucky recipient of a huge bag of basil . Outside of the summer months this is a very rare occurrence so I decided to go with the big tastes of summer and make a basil pesto. You can prepare your own pesto as I did or use frozen or jarred pesto for that blast of summer.

I had come across this recipe from a cookbook I won (I will be mentioning this later in the week) and decided that with a few twists it would work perfectly for Presto Pasta Nights . Ruth at Once Upon a Feast has been organizing Presto Pasta nights every Friday for over 2 years now. I rarely prepare pasta these days, even though I love it unconditionally. Ivy of Kopiaste is hosting this week. Therefore, I wanted to make something special!!!

**Basil Cream Sauce with Chicken and Pasta**

adapted from a recipe from Rachel Ray

1 lb spaghettini
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 - 3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound cooked chicken breast, julienned
1/4 pound sliced prosciutto, julienned (optional)
1 cup frozen tiny green peas (I used asparagus)2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup basil pesto (I used the recipe below)A handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped
A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
A handful of fresh basil, chopped

Bring a big pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water, add the spaghettini, and cook to al dente.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Make a roux, whisking together the melted butter and flour for 1 minute, then add the wine and cook down for 1 minute. Add the stock and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another couple of minutes to thicken. Stir the chicken and prosciutto into the wine sauce. Add the peas and lemon zest, combine, then add pesto to taste. Heat through.

To serve, toss the sauce with the drained spaghetti. Garnish with the chopped herbs.

Serves 4

**Val's Pesto**

125 mL (1/2 cup)each packed fresh basil leaves
½ cup packed parsley
2 - 4 whole peeled garlic cloves
30 mL (2 tablespoons) pine nuts
60 mL (1/4 cup)sun-dried tomatoes, drained and ¼ cup julienned
coarse black pepper to taste
3 mL (1/2 teaspoon) salt
60 mL (1/4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional but droolworthy)

Combine all remaining ingredients except Parmesan in food processor or whiz with immersion blender and process until well combined. Recipe makes about 10 tbsp (150 mL) of pesto. Use desired amount to toss with the pasta in this recipe. Cover and refrigerate the remainder for up to 3 days for another use.

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