Saturday, 10 January 2009
I made an improvised pasta dish for some friends last night that turned out really well, meaning it was devoured in minutes including second helpings and talked about afterwards.
It was a one-dish meal and took about a half an hour to make on a stovetop.
It contained no expensive or exotic ingredients.
It is not low fat or low sodium, nor is it suitable for vegetarians.
The ingredients (I leave quantities to your discretion):
pasta, bacon, chicken breast, mushrooms, green beans, a jar of sundried tomatoes in olive oil, some dry white wine, grated Parmesan cheese, single cream, butter, olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and white pepper.
Equipment needed:
a pot to boil the pasta in, another (large) pot to saute the bacon and chicken breast and then mix everything together in at the end, a saute pan to saute the mushrooms, a small saucepan to boil the green beans in, a pasta strainer, and two wooden spoons.
Try this recipe. It’s remarkably quick and easy and will make you popular.
Heat the large pot on the stovetop and pour in some olive oil. Cut up the chicken breast and a packet of unsmoked back bacon and add to the pot. Season with salt and black pepper. Saute at high heat for ten minutes or so.
Meanwhile cook the pasta al dente in boiling water with a dash of salt and a little olive oil, and strain it.
Saute the mushrooms in butter.
Boil the beans for ten minutes or until tender.
Grate the cheese.
Add the white wine to the chicken and bacon and let it boil down until almost totally evaporated.
Remove the large pot from the heat, add in all the other indredients, and mix well. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
We had two wines with this dish: an Austalian shiraz and and an Italian prosecco…but almost any wine (red, white, bubbly, dry or semi-dry) would work great with it.
Voila! Enjoy.
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