Let's Cook
Peasto pasta
With smashed chicken
25 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 4
About the recipe
Peas are the star of this perfect pesto recipe! Buddy loves cooking this dish for his family as it only takes 25 minutes, and it’s so much fun to bash up peas with pine nuts, basil and salty Parmesan cheese for a quick and tasty sauce.
Recipe From
Ingredients
320g frozen peas
1 small clove of garlic
1 bunch of basil or mint (30g)
40g pine nuts
40g Parmesan or Cheddar cheese, plus extra for grating
extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
500g fresh lasagne sheets
4 x 120g higher-welfare skinless chicken breasts
olive oil
Top Tip
Veggie swap-in
Replace the smashed chicken with a poached egg or fried egg.
Jamie wholeheartedly believes that cooking is up there as one of the most valuable skills you can teach a child. Getting kids excited about food, where it comes from and how to cook it, gives them a better chance of being healthier and happier in the long run. When cooking with kids, use your common sense to determine what jobs they can help you with, depending on their age and skill level. It’s always good to start small, with jobs such as mixing and measuring, then progress to elements of a recipe, then go on to slightly trickier techniques over time. The more they cook, the better they’ll get. Make sure you supervise them when using heat or sharp utensils like knives and box graters, and teach them about the importance of washing their hands before they start, and after handling raw meat and fish, as well as other basic hygiene rules. Most of all, have fun with it, and encourage them to give things a go.
Buddy's new show, Cooking Buddies, airs on CBBC and iPlayer in July 2024.
Method
- Place the peas in a microwave-proof bowl and microwave on high (800W) for 3 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Peel the garlic and place in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of sea salt. Pick in most of the herb leaves and bash to a paste. Add the pine nuts, finely grate in the cheese and muddle in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Drain and add the peas to the herby mixture, then roughly bash it all up. Squeeze in the lemon juice and season to taste.
- Use scissors (go for crinkle-cut scissors, if you have them) to cut the lasagne sheets into fun shapes, tearing up the offcuts, then put aside.
- Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of greaseproof paper, then use a rolling pin or the base of a heavy pan to bash and flatten them out to around 1cm thick.
- Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, fry the chicken for 3 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through, then remove to a plate to rest – you’ll need to work in batches.
- Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender, then drain, reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water. Carefully toss the pasta with the peasto, loosening with splashes of pasta water, if needed.
- Plate up the pasta, slice the chicken and arrange on top, and finish with the leftover herbs and an extra grating of cheese, if you like.
Tags