Toast garlic to lend sweetness; toast nuts to lend earthiness.
Judging from the smells of tanning lotion and outdoor grilling in the early Spring air, many of us are feeling celebratory and hosting parties. If you’re one of the “lucky” entertainers in town, it’s easy to get into a dither over the menu.
Some folks don’t like tofu, others shun meat. Many find the idea of eating raw fish (sushi) unfathomable, and there are those who pinch their nose at pungent spicy cuisines.
Therefore planning a dish for a party that pleases everyone can be challenging. One thing I’ve learned is most everyone likes Italian food, particularly Italian recipes that include pesto. No matter your palate, religion or political persuasion, everyone gets along when eating pasta and pesto.
Entertaining a group is not daunting if you have one-bowl-fits-all recipes such as this Pesto Pasta and Chicken up your sleeve, which includes the starch (pasta), protein (chicken) and vegetable, er – fruit (tomatoes are a fruit). The recipe will serve 18-26 people, but could easily be divided in half. If you’re looking for a vegetarian salad or side salad to accommodate a cook-out, eliminate the chicken and this recipe has your number.
Another bonus is the dish accommodates a hosts hectic schedule. Ingredients may be purchased up to 48 hours in advance, and most of the preparation may be done 24 hours in advance. (The pesto may even be made up to 3 days in advance.) If refrigerator space is an issue, put the salad in gallon-sized Zip-locks, which can always be squeezed into available space.
A lot of ingredients means a lot of mixing; plastic gloves help.
Here’s the plan. The day prior to entertaining, prepare and, with the exception of the tomatoes, toss everything together – only tossing 1/2 of the pesto with the ingredients. Several hours before you plan to serve the dish, toss salad with tomatoes and remaining pesto as needed, to taste, then season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Shopping tips: I purchased all of the ingredients at Hiller’s, the reason being is they always seem to have an ample supply of large packages of nice looking basil (I purchased about 1/2 pound for this recipe.) The store also stocks handy packages of walnut bits and pieces; 1, 9-ounce container was perfect for the recipe below. For a more traditional, basil pesto, you may prefer substituting pricier pine nuts for the walnuts. I saved the cash and scattered toasted pine nuts over the salad. This recipe yields a goodly pesto to pasta ratio; if you have leftovers, freeze them. Pesto thaws quickly and makes a much-appreciated mid-week dinner with pasta.
I prefer using De Cecco bow tie pasta as the semolina ratio the company uses helps keep the bow ties from falling apart. Shrimp, by the way, would be a wonderful substitution for chicken.
Invited to a pot luck? No doubt your host would appreciate your inviting this salad to accompany you. Served with crusty artisan bread or dinner rolls, followed by sweet treats for dessert, no one walks away hungry.
