Redefining Italian Comfort Food: Koji Cooks' Minestrone with Pesto Recipe

MINESTRONE with PESTO & SEARED BONELESS CHICKEN THIGHS

Minestrone can be enjoyed as a full meal or an appetizer. The pesto recipe is equally tasty when combined with pasta, which will be highlighted in a future Koji Cooks recipe blog. We're using small rigatoni, but traditional elbows, any short tubular pasta, or even shells or orecchiette would be excellent choices. I'm pairing this with a straightforward boneless pan-seared chicken thigh - recipe included.

PESTO - Recipe (yields 1 cup)

3-4 cups fresh basil leaves

6-8 tablespoons of thawed frozen chopped spinach with the liquid removed, resulting in approximately 3 tablespoons.

1 tablespoon minced garlic

15 walnut halves

2 tablespoons pine nuts

2 tablespoons sweet butter at room temperature.

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese.

1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt

15 grinds of fresh black pepper.

METHOD - refer to photos for steps

Put the basil, spinach, garlic, walnuts, pine nuts, and butter into a food processor and blend until roughly ground. With the motor running, gradually drizzle in the olive oil until smooth. Pulse in the parmesan along with salt and pepper.

MINESTRONE

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon dry oregano

3-4 bay leaves

1 cup of diced red onion.

1 cup of sliced celery.

1 cup of sliced carrot.

1 can of cherry tomatoes with its sauce about 2 cups.

1 can of cherry tomatoes with sauce, approximately 2 cups.

6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

8 ounces dry small rigatoni

1 can of cannellini beans with liquid - I use Goya.

2/3 cup freshly chopped Italian Parsley.

1 teaspoon kosher salt

20 grinds of fresh black pepper.

ice as needed

METHOD - refer to photos for steps

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, pour in the olive oil, and then add the garlic, oregano, bay leaves, red onion, celery, and carrot. Sauté, stirring for 5-8 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Incorporate the tomatoes and smash a little with a potato masher, add their canned sauce and the stock. Turn up the heat to bring it to a boil, then add the rigatoni and cook until al dente as per the package instructions. Lower the heat to medium, add the cannellini beans, parsley, and salt & pepper, and heat through. If you're not serving it right away, add 6 ice cubes to halt the cooking process.

PAN SEARED CHICKEN THIGHS - Recipe (serves 4)

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

4 boneless chicken thighs

1/2 teaspoon truffle salt (or use kosher salt)

Several grinds of fresh black pepper.

METHOD - refer to photos for steps

Generously season the thighs with truffle salt and pepper. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat until very hot, swirl in the oil, add the chicken thighs, and cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until just done. They can be prepared in advance and reheated in a 350-degree oven just before serving.