Photos: Borbala Zergi
Dear Followers,
Today’s recipe is a late one…again. We’ve recorded the video for this recipe in May and we’re already in the middle of summer. Which is okay because the need for easy-to-make recipes didn’t get weaker. I hate to miss my own family gatherings because I’m trapped in the kitchen all day so I like to choose recipes for occasions like these that are completely capable to impress guests but take only an hour to prepare. My pesto pasta recipe serves exactly the above-mentioned purpose.
On the other hand, there’s a reason behind posting this recipe so late and running behind schedule. I stopped eating meat 3 weeks ago and went completely plant-based which means that I don’t consume eggs, dairy products, fish or meat. At all. But if I’m honest, it would’ve been a shame not to share this recipe with you. My sudden change of heart to go on a plant-based diet doesn’t mean that I stopped loving the things I previously consumed and I’d hate to become a two-faced hater who talks bad about meat-eaters. It’s an experiment for me and my husband. For now, we’re loving it and we are thriving on this lifestyle but it’s still early to tell if it’s going to be a lifelong thing or just a fling. (Look at me rhyme… 😀 )
So here we go…my first recipe as an “almost-vegan” (because I didn’t throw out my leather bag and shoes) contains chicken. How funny is that?
Ingredients:
-500 g chicken breast cut into strips
-1 small container of pitted, black olives, also sliced
-300 g dry pasta of your choice
-300 ml cooking cream
-300 ml green pesto
What to do:
- Take a couple tablespoons of the oil from the pesto and cook the chicken strips on medium-high heat. We want them to get some color and become brown on the outside but to stay soft on the inside. Make sure to toss them around to prevent them from burning. If you feel the need to add some more oil into the pan, feel free to do that: add about 2 tsp’s of regular olive oil and keep on frying the strips.
- Turn down the heat and add the cooking cream along with the pesto. Stir well until everything is combined. Let it simmer for 5 minutes on low heat before adding the chopped olives.
- At the very end of the process, add the olives, mix them in and let it simmer away for an additional 5 minutes.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. It usually takes around 10 minutes to reach that “al dente” stage when it’s still crucnhy in the middle and not mushy. But again: a lot depends on the type of pasta you use. When it’s cooked, drain the pasta and mix it with your sauce…or don’t. 🙂
- Yama products can be purchased at Auchan supermarkets throughout Hungary, and you can also order them online from the Bijó webshop.
I hope you like this recipe. Tag me on Instagram with the hashtags #fatimapanka #yamakitchen so I can see your creations. 🙂 I really hope you’ll stick with me even if I come up with vegan recipes.
Love,
Fatima
yama kitchen and Lifestyle 