A Dish Awaiting Your Suggested Name

So far, I'm calling this Chicken Ravioli with Pesto & Peas. Yes, I know: really original. You can help by suggesting a better name. Of course, just about any suggestion would be an improvement.

But, what a delicious meal to name!

Once again, necessity proved to be the mother of invention.

“We have to do something with all the basil we have,” Kathleen said Monday morning. What to do with an abundance of beautiful basil in the garden? Make pesto!

Pouring freshly made pesto over pasta seemed a little boring. What if I added chicken? And peas? And thus this dish was born.

While the list of ingredients and the number of steps may lead you to believe that this is a time-consuming meal to prepare, it is actually surprisingly quick.

Serves 4

¼ cup pine nuts
2 cups fresh basil, lightly packed
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
½ cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup peas
Approximately 36 cheese-filled ravioli

Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet till golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Be sure to watch the pine nuts closely so they do not burn.* Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Add the basil, garlic and pine nuts to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Whir, and then slowly add ½ cup olive oil till incorporated. Place the basil mixture in a bowl, add parmesan cheese, and stir till well-blended. Set aside the completed pesto sauce.

Meanwhile, season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and cook in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat till slightly browned, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Cook ravioli according to package directions and the peas at the same time in the same pot of salted water. When the ravioli and peas are done, reserve 2 tablespoons of pasta water, then drain.

Combine the ravioli, chicken and pesto in a bowl, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water until the desired consistency.

*Burned pine nuts are not only worthless, they will make your house smell bad. Really bad. Trust me.