I realized, due to reading my own blog, that I have been cooking too many “country” meals. Comfort food.
Time to do something more interesting. Simple Italian food. Nothing too traditional but great Italian inspiration.
This is a seriously rich dish. You’re going to want some simple sorbet after this.
Ingredients:
2 skinless/boneless chicken cut into 1 inch cubes
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
3 slices (about 1/2 cup) of salt pork cut into 1/4 inch “sticks”
1 medium onion sliced thin
1 clove of garlic sliced thin
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk
1 clove of garlic sliced thin
2 tbsp chopped rosemary and thyme
1 dash of cayenne powder
2 cups of sliced Swiss Chard (or spinach, kale, or arugula)
1/2 lb of farfalle pasta
1/4 cup salt
1 tbsp “olio picante” (spicy olive oil)
Directions:
1. Cut up and season the chicken and slice the salt pork.
2. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add salt pork and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Add onion and 1 clove of garlic and cook for 5 more minutes stirring occasionally. Transfer pan to oven at 200F to keep warm.
3. Heat a large pot of water to a boil.
4. In a large sauce pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter and melt over medium low heat. Add flour and stir. Stir occasionally for 15 minutes.
5. Add herbs, garlic, cream, milk and cayenne pepper.
6. Bring cream mixture to a simmer over med heat, reduce to low and whisk frequently until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Keep warm.
7. While cream is simmering, add salt to water. Stir to mix then add pasta. Boil for appoximately until “al dente”. Drain and add olive oil. Transfer back to pot.
8. Slice Swiss chard and add to pasta. Cook over low heat stirring frequently for about 1 minute.
9. Add cream to pasta mixture. Be careful not to add too much.
10. Transfer pasta to a plate. Top pasta with chicken and onion mixture. Serve immediately.
