Valentine Surprise

My wife and I spent our date at home. With so many expenses looming today and that great traffic that usually comes every Saturday especially this day of the year. We decided to forgo with expensive dinner or expensive date and that big parking lot called EDSA. So what we did was to get groceries the day before and spent some time at Figaro Coffee shop. We bought some pene, a kilo actually, olive oil, fresh basil, 3 kilos of chicken (I used 3/4 of it), and some herbs. Then of course the usual things that we normally brought every time we go shopping. Here are few photos of what I've prepared for her. A pesto based pasta with garlic chicken and shrimp sauce. My ingredients for pesto are as follows:

1 bottle of extra virgin olive oil (the fruity one)

1 1/2 half pack of fresh basil leaves

4 cloves of garlic

Rosemary (just a few leaves)

since i forgot to buy lemons I substituted Dalandan concentrate (with honey)

4 tablespoon

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoon of peanuts (skinless and fried)

For the Chicken and shrimp sauce

3/4 chicken ( I deboned them)

1/4 fresh shrimp

Thyme

3 table spoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

Shrimp paste (from the chopped head and sprout of the shrimps combined with a tablespoon of water)

Procedure:

Put basil leaves on a blender, along with the olive oil, garlic and peanuts. Blend them well and add salt and pepper and dalandan honey concentrate. Set aside

Heat a pan and put 2 tablespoon canola oil. Saute garlic and onion and put the chicken meat on it. Let all the juices of the meat comes out and add shrimp, shrimp paste soaked in 2 tablespoon of water. Use strainer to prevent shrimp shells from falling on to the sauce. Add the olive oil and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

My wife just loved the pasta so much and said my version is even great than Via Veneto's or than that of Old Spaghetti House. I even gave some to my sister and also enjoyed it. A bottle of white fruity wine, a slice of breaded pork and voila our Valentine date was great. My in laws came a little late but they still enjoy the food and the wine. For the rest of the night it was shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....