Pasta with Roquet Pesto and Grilled Chicken

OK, so you've made your lovely pasta and now you're looking for something to go with it. Pesto is the classic Italian partner for pasta, intense basil and garlic, however this can sometimes be quite over powering. An alternative is to use roquet, the peppery leaf more commonly used in salads. Also, where we live I'm lucky to have access at this time of year to almost unlimited quantities of wild garlic. This is a broad, green leaf which grows along river banks and STINKS! It tastes beautiful though, like a sweeter, more aromatic version of garlic, it's one of my favorite ingredients so I've used it here instead of bulb garlic.

Using a pestle and morter start off with 7 or 8 wild garlic leaves. Add a couple of handfuls of roquet and a teaspoon of salt crystals, these will help grind the leaves. Give this a mix until the leaves have started to break down a bit then add 2 tablespoons of pine nuts. Pound these so they break up a little but still retain some texture. Next add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some grated parmesan. Season with black pepper and mix well.

For the chicken I use 2 chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2 inch thick strips. In a bowl I mix 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, a pinch of chilli powder and some smoked hickory essence. Stir this well then add the chicken and allow to marinade for an hour. Cook the chicken strips by placing them in a hot griddle pan.

To serve: cook your pasta, drain it then return to the pan. Add the pesto and stir until the pasta is coated. Top with the chicken and sprinkle over some shaved parmesan.