Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Basil Pasta with Chicken and Garden Veggies

This might look weird, but it is good! My spot-light in the dining room doesn't help. Those are green noodles, folks.

So, I love salads, but I really like then better when other people make them... so I don't have a recipe I can think of off-hand. BUT, I did get my Taste-Of-Home magazine in the mail today, and it gave me a great idea for dinner! I never go directly by the recipe, so this is a mix from the magazine and me. You could do the sauce without the basil noodles, but this noodle recipe is really easy, so try it! (when you have time-it takes an hour and a half to let the noodles rest and dry)

Process 1 1/4C packed basil in a food processor until chopped fine
Add:
3 C flour
3 eggs
1/4 + 1 T Water
2 t olive oil

Process 30-35 seconds or until it forms a ball. Then knead it on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. The recipe says 8-10 minutes, but I never do it that long. Cover the ball and let rest for 30 min. Divide the ball into 4 pieces and roll out one at a time, to about 1/16th of an inch thick (so,very thin) and cut about 1/4 inch wide. Dry for an hour. I did it on a towel on my kitchen table. After that hour, cook in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes. It may take an hour and a half for this, but it is REALLY easy and good!

For the sauce, I did...
Saute:
1 small onion
2-4 garlic cloves-minced
2 T olive oil
1 small green pepper
2 tomatoes cut into chunks
1 can of mushrooms (if you had fresh, that'd be better)
1 can of sliced olives

Add:
3/4 c chicken broth
1-2 c chicken (I just used canned chicken cause it was fast, but if I thought ahead, a rotisserie chicken from the store would have been good, or cooked chicken breast, or even a cut up sausage log thing (I don't know what they're called))
1 t oregano
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
Bring all this to a boil and cook for 8 minutes. Then add:
1 C cream or milk (the recipe calls for cream, which would be really good, but I wanted to keep it light so I did milk and then thickened it with corn starch at the end... it was good)
Then cook it until it is saucy. Pour over your drained noodles when it's done! I sprinkled a bit of mozzarella cheese on top of everyone's serving... that is optional, of course.

No comments: