Pesto, Chicken & Vegetable Tray Bake

Photo: © childsdesign

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By all means have pesto on pasta but do try it with other foods too. It is great on fish and has some simple chicken thighs and vegetables singing in the oven.

Make an all-in-one tray roast with sliced leeks, carrots some skin-on potatoes, a few tomatoes and skinless chicken thighs and spooned over some pesto Pesto 20 minutes before the end of cooking time. Delicious!

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Take a look at our '20 Ways with Pesto' for some more ideas.

20 Ways with Pesto (other than pasta)

Everyone knows pesto is perfect with pasta but did you know that you can do so much more with it?
Here are just 20 ideas to liven up your meals and the list could go on…

1. Mix into minced meat to make meatballs or burgers
2. Use as a pizza sauce instead of tomato
3. Mix with mayonnaise and spread on to sandwiches
4. Pesto butter – mix with softened butter
5. Stir into mashed potatoes
6. Add to seafood such as mussels
7. Great with steamed green/runner beans
8. Perfect with peas and pancetta
9. Add to potato salad
10. Tasty topping for grilled chicken
11. Add to scrambled eggs
12. Make a dip – add pesto to mayonnaise and crème fraîche with some capers, lemon zest and juice and mix well
13. Stir into soups, tomato is particularly good
14. Add some to a frittata or omelette
15. Add to hummous
16. Rub over chicken before roasting
17. Bake into bread
18. Mix into salad dressing
19. Toss hot vegetables in it
20. Spread on bruschetta

'A Very British' Watercress Pesto

Photo: © childsdesign

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We've taken the Italian recipe and transported it into the heart of the British Isles. By taking some elements and substituting them for something from our homeland, it makes a vibrant and fresh tasting sauce.

Rapeseed oil is fast becoming Britain's equivalent of olive oil. In its cold pressed extra virgin form, rapeseed oil is healthy and flavourful. You can find quality rapeseed oil producers on The Artisan Food Trail from Yare Valley Oils.

We prefer to make pesto by hand as it gives a much better texture. There’s something to be said for bruising the flavours out of the leaves rather than just chopping everything up in a food processor.

This pesto is good mixed into linguine pasta or used in which to toss some Jersey Royal potatoes served along side a good piece of poached salmon.

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