Avocado Pesto Linguine with Grilled Chicken

After making this recipe I'm a little obsessed with making avocado based sauces. The term "pesto" should really be used loosely when talking about this recipe because it's not really a pesto at all but it's so delicious! For the chicken I simply grilled it with some olive oil, salt and pepper on my grill pan. The sauce on the chicken is a concoction I made from leftover stuff in the fridge. Jarred roasted red peppers, mascarpone, olive oil, salt and pepper that I pulsed in the food processor. I got the original avocado pesto recipe from FoodNetwork.


Prep Time: 8 min   Cook Time: 9 min   Total Time: 17 min


Avocado Pesto


Ingredients

• 1 pound linguine pasta
• 2 medium avocados, halved, peeled, and seeded (about 12 ounces total)
• 3 cups baby arugula leaves (3 ounces)
• 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 large limes)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmesan (4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (see Cook's Note)
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Directions

Cook's Note: To toast the almonds, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 6 to 8 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool completely before using.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Place in a serving bowl.

Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the avocados and place in a food processor. Add the arugula, basil, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.

Pour the pesto over the pasta and toss together. Add the cheese and almonds and toss together until coated, adding the pasta water, as needed, to loosen the sauce.

My Modifications

I first made this recipe exactly how the recipe does it but then I remade it and I have to say, my version is better! I used 1 avocado, a handful of baby spinach, half a juiced lemon, about 1/4 cup of mascarpone (italian cream cheese), 5 fresh basil leaves, 2 cloves of garlic, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. I still added the parmesan at the end and a little bit of the pasta water. I omitted the nuts but I think it would still be good with a little crunch. I used tube pasta instead of linguine. It turned out really good and I think avocado based sauces are the best!

Grilled Pizza

The pizza I had in Italy was by far the most delicious pizza I've ever had in my life. Italian pizza is very different than the kind of pizza we have in America. The crust is very very thin and they keep the toppings very simple. There isn't any pepperoni, they usually just have a variation of salami, mozzarella, sauce, basil, olives and anchovies as toppings. The pizza is usually cooked in a wood fire oven and the closest thing most of us have to that is a BBQ. I found this recipe for thin crust grilled pizza and it's the closest to Italian pizza that I've been able to make. I got it from FoodNetwork and only used the crust part of the recipe and used my own toppings.

Prep Time: 25 min   Cook Time: 10 min   Total Time: 35 min

Grilled Pizza

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup warm tap water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

In a small bowl add the warm (this activates the yeast. If the water is too hot the yeast will die and if the water is too cold the yeast will not activate) tap water add the dry yeast and the sugar and stir to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes. The top of the water will bubble and it will smell very yeasty, this is what you want.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the olive oil and the yeast/water mixture. Using a fork gradually stir the flour into the yeast/water mix. Once most of the flour has combined, turn the dough out to a smooth clean work surface and use your hands to knead the dough to a smooth consistency.

Return the dough to the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place for at least 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and preheat grill to medium-high heat.

My Modifications

This recipe uses an indoor grill but my outdoor BBQ worked great. You can make the crust thicker if you want, just turn the heat down a little and let the crust cook longer. I brushed both sides with olive oil and cooked the crust on the first side for about 5 minutes. Then I flipped it and added a thin layer of store bought pizza sauce, thinly sliced mozzarella from a ball of fresh mozzarella, some salami and freshly grated parmesan. I cooked it for another 5 minutes with the lid shut so the cheese could melt. It's really important to check on it a lot because it can burn easily. I prefer the pizza to have a little bit of char on the edges, but that's just my personal preference. The ball of fresh mozzarella is SO MUCH better than the shredded stuff and melts beautifully. Another great grilled pizza recipe I've used is Alton Brown's, it just takes longer. For his pizza sauce, he simply puts sliced tomatoes and mushes them up once they've gotten soft, it's really really good!