Let me tell you a little story:
Today while at the supermarket The Lieutenant asked if we needed any pasta. When I replied affirmatively he picked up two boxes. Which brought our pantry-pasta store to a grand total of 11 boxes. (Upon returning home and discovering this fact, The Lieutenant promptly restricted me from buying any more pasta until we use what we already have)
Don't judge me.
In honor of my love I want to share this recipe with you. I borrowed it from my friend The Pioneer Woman and let me just say, it's DELISH. It's not really what I would call a traditional pasta recipe- in fact, my Italian mother would probably never prepare this dish in her kitchen- but that doesn't change the fact that it's DELISH (did I mention delish?)
The recipe is Cajun Chicken Pasta: a perfect blend of creole seasoned chicken and vegetables tossed with pasta in a creamy, wine based sauce. Admit it, that description sounded tempting. You can customize the flavor to be as hot or mild as you'd like, depending on how much Creole seasoning you use. The Lieutenant likes anything spicy, so I like to kick up a little bit with this one. The cream does a great job of balancing out the spice and giving the sauce a velvety texture. (ok, now I'M hungry...)
I don't usually deviate from this original recipe too much with this one, which I know may shock you, so I'll just leave you with a few comments.
Firstly, I don't have a cast-iron skillet, so I use my Cuisinart stainless cookware, which works just fine. However, if you're looking for another kitchen piece to invest in, I would suggest purchasing a pre-seasoned cast iron skillet. My mother cooks exclusively with cast iron and I have to say, it is definitely superior to most other cookware. The heat retention is amazing and I find that there is nothing quite like the sear that you can get from cast iron. At the same time, the seasoning on the pan makes the surface non-stick, which means you can also use it for eggs or any other generally sticky foods. Plus they can double as baking dishes. They are kind of magical. But enough about that.
The only other substitution I sometimes make is to use diced canned tomatoes instead of the fresh roma. I find that where I live tomatoes are REALLY difficult to find out of season and quite frankly, I'd rather use canned than fresh if fresh = mealy. I take a 16oz can of diced Hunts, drain the juice (DON'T forget this, or your sauce will be soupy), and add it in place of the tomatoes. Works like a charm.
One more pointer: I'm all for lightening recipes up if possible but PLEASE don't try to substitute for the heavy cream. I often substitute half-and-half for cream in recipes but for this dish that trick will not work. The sauce will be runny, you'll be disappointed, The Pioneer Woman will be angry and I will come hunt you down to say "I TOLD YOU SO".
If you're looking for something to make for dinner tonight, I highly recommend this recipe. It won't disappoint.
Photo borrowed from The Pioneer Woman.com
For the entire recipe go to: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/cajun-chicken-pasta/comment-page-4/
I don't usually deviate from this original recipe too much with this one, which I know may shock you, so I'll just leave you with a few comments.
Firstly, I don't have a cast-iron skillet, so I use my Cuisinart stainless cookware, which works just fine. However, if you're looking for another kitchen piece to invest in, I would suggest purchasing a pre-seasoned cast iron skillet. My mother cooks exclusively with cast iron and I have to say, it is definitely superior to most other cookware. The heat retention is amazing and I find that there is nothing quite like the sear that you can get from cast iron. At the same time, the seasoning on the pan makes the surface non-stick, which means you can also use it for eggs or any other generally sticky foods. Plus they can double as baking dishes. They are kind of magical. But enough about that.
The only other substitution I sometimes make is to use diced canned tomatoes instead of the fresh roma. I find that where I live tomatoes are REALLY difficult to find out of season and quite frankly, I'd rather use canned than fresh if fresh = mealy. I take a 16oz can of diced Hunts, drain the juice (DON'T forget this, or your sauce will be soupy), and add it in place of the tomatoes. Works like a charm.
One more pointer: I'm all for lightening recipes up if possible but PLEASE don't try to substitute for the heavy cream. I often substitute half-and-half for cream in recipes but for this dish that trick will not work. The sauce will be runny, you'll be disappointed, The Pioneer Woman will be angry and I will come hunt you down to say "I TOLD YOU SO".
If you're looking for something to make for dinner tonight, I highly recommend this recipe. It won't disappoint.
Photo borrowed from The Pioneer Woman.com
For the entire recipe go to: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/cajun-chicken-pasta/comment-page-4/
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