Twenty-Something and starving

In regards to my finances, I still haven’t fully recovered from our most recent holiday season. I won’t get into exactly how much I spent on those closest to me; it pains me to think of it. What I will get into is when you’re someone like me who loves to cook, being broke blows, especially with Valentine’s Day breathing down my neck.

When it comes to Valentine’s Day, I think there are four different kinds of people. First, there are those who love it, and expect to be showered with obscene amounts of gifts and affection from their significant others. Then there are those who think Valentine’s Day is nothing more than a commercialized holiday that’s meant to increase candy, flower and jewelry sales.  The third type thinks it’s nonsense to have one day of the year to express your love for others because “you should be doing it all year long already.” Finally, there are those who are indifferent towards the holiday.

Personally, I fall into the indifferent category. If someone wants to go out of their way to shower me with chocolate and flowers, who am I to stop them? But if someone falls into one of the anti-Valentine’s Day categories, that’s their prerogative and I can just go nab myself some peanut M&Ms to satisfy my chocolate craving.

The recipe I came up with for this week would make a lovely and affordable Valentine’s Day feast if you’re the type of guy or gal with a special someone you’d like to prepare a tasty, healthy meal for. If you’re one of those folks who could care less about V-Day, well, this dinner is delicious either way!

Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breasts
with Roasted Tomato & Pine Nut Farfalle

For Chicken:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 6 oz jar store bought pesto
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
½ cup baby spinach, washed and chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

For Pasta

1 box farfalle pasta
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
¼ cup pine (pignolli) nuts, toasted in a dry pan for 5 minutes
1 handful fresh basil, torn into bite sized pieces
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. To begin, pour tomatoes onto a foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and place in an oven at 400° until the tomatoes begin to pop open and become fragrant, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, place one chicken breast between two sheets of parchment paper. Using a large, heavy skillet (a meat tenderizer works well too), thin out chicken to about ¼ inch thickness using even blows to the breast. Repeat with remaining three.

3. For filling, combine the pesto, ricotta, spinach and garlic in a large bowl and stir until combined.

4. To stuff, take a thinned out chicken breast and spread with ¼ of the cheese mixture. Roll the chicken breast around stuffing. Secure with toothpicks. Repeat with remaining three.

5. Season chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper. Place in a pan with some olive oil over high heat and cook for 5 minutes on each side until a nice, golden crust is formed. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook in a preheated oven at 400° for 10 more minutes until chicken is cooked through.

6. Prepare pasta to package directions and desired doneness.  Add roasted tomatoes (and all the oil left on the pan), toasted pine nuts, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. If it seems dry, add a little more olive oil.

7. Serve the chicken atop the pasta sprinkled with more basil if desired.