My cooking horizons were expanded gigantiquement three years ago when mon cher ami Eli shipped me a copy of "Fast Food My Way" by French Chef, Jacques Pépin.Since all of my culinary mentors up until this point had been Swedes (notably this guy), I was initially skeptical of learning recipes from a Frenchman, but Pépin's kind visage (familiar from PBS) quickly set me at ease, as did his pledge (in the Introduction) to "easily transform [various] ingredients into fast and elegant dishes".
One ingredient introduced to me by Chef Jacques quickly became one of my favorites—basil (pictured below). This green, lusciously aromatic herb is used to great effect in Pépin's recipe for "Summertime Pasta" which I highly recommend to cooks of any skill level, including beginners.
To start, gather the following inside a large microwavable bowl: 3 cups diced (1-inch) tomatoes, 1 diced (½-inch) zucchini, 1 cup diced (½-inch) white button mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon pepper, and one-third cup extra-virgin olive oil. Then, cook 6-10 ounces of pasta shells (Jacques calls for 6 oz, I prefer 10). Shortly before the pasta is finished cooking, microwave the bowl of vegetables for ~2 minutes (until lukewarm). Next, drain the pasta and add it to the bowl of vegetables, sprinkle with 1 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1½ cups of coarsely shredded, loosely packed fresh basil. Toss well. Serve immediately.
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4 comments:
This recipe sounds familiar. You should mention that when serving it in winter, you must hypnotize your guests in order to slip this "summertime" dish by them.
Basil is great! Klake and I grow it in a pot in our driveway in the summertime - alongside a few pots of tomatos - and make tasty pasta dishes.
Basil goes well in a lot of different dishes. I am thinking of growing some herbs this summer. Does Pepin, or any others have any good herb growing advice?
On a side note, in the future please give a warning when you have videos involving puppets...not cool;)
Ann, I’ve heard Jacques refer to his herb garden, but not to any herb growing advice; I’ll have to look into this a bit more. Speaking of your HG, though, might you have an extra plot? I was thinking of growing an herb or two in my windowsill, but the odds of my cats eating them would surely be lower if I planted in your garden, instead ;)
Oh, and I do apologize for the lack of warning regarding the Muppet video -- perhaps I should have used this video instead (wait until 30 seconds in...no puppets, I promise).
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