I've been trying a lot of recipes from that cookbook; I haven't yet tried one I didn't like.
It's unique. It's got recipes not found anywhere else, mostly created by the authors themselves, who have decades of cooking experience.
The store didn't have fettuccine; I could have used linguine, but I used angel hair pasta.
Cut up chicken breast into cubes; Dry with paper towels.
Heat canola oil until almost smoking. Saute chicken cubes in the oil for 1 minute.
Turn heat to low, pour off excess fat, return pan to stove, add 1/4 cup white wine.
Cover and simmer 5 mins, turn heat off and leave it covered for another few minutes.
Meanwhile, boil your pasta, and then put it in a mixing bowl.
Pour the chicken and wine over pasta, then toss in olive oil, parmesan cheese, black pepper.
Since I had some basil pesto, and since I love basil pesto, I added to the pasta.
I tried it both with and without the pesto. It was good without, but I preferred it with the pesto.
I'm really not a fan of chicken breast; I would have preferred this with shrimp, actually.
Many recipes that call for chicken, I substitute shrimp. But I had chicken that I needed to use up.
Angel hair is the very most difficult pasta to work with. If you can make this successfully with angel hair, Matt says you're a better cook than he is. He stopped using angel hair years ago because it's so hard to get right. Linguini, even spaghetti, would be easier, and would have been a reasonable substitution for the fettuccini, but he says his hat's off to you if you can do it with angel hair.
ReplyDeleteThe angel hair was fairly sticky... I didn't mind so much but I can see how the linguine wouldn't have stuck together like the angel hair did.
ReplyDeleteDid you add salt to the water? Did you get the water to a full boil before putting in the angel hair? Did you stir the pasta constantly? Did you leave it in for a very brief time only? (Whatever the package declares as the proper time.) Pasta takes constant attention to prevent sticking.
ReplyDeleteSalt, yes. I'd actually not done that before.
ReplyDeleteI've been known to put olive oil in the water to prevent sticking, but I didn't this time.
Full boil before adding pasta, stir constantly, leave in for a brief time only... um, FAIL!!!
As a quarter Sicilian, I should know better.
Thanks for the pointers, though. It was still tasty, but it was very sticky.
See "Pasta Pointers" in Cast Iron Cuisine from Breakfast to Dessert.
ReplyDeletegreenturtle, could you please e-mail me? We have an idea we'd like to run by you.
ReplyDelete