Linguine with Chicken Ragu

For some reason this was the recipe that made me fall in love with cooking. I think it's also the meal that made my husband fall in love with me!  I was home sick from work, napping with Food Network on in the background. Something about Giada de Laurentiis' Everyday Italian that stopped me in my tracks, it looked so good and so easy that I could smell the woody smell of the rosemary through the TV.  I rushed to the store and got what I needed! 

Serves 6 as a main course.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into chunks (sometimes I use chicken breast since that's what I have on hand and it's just as good, although less meaty in flavor)
1/2 Cup Shallots, finely chopped
1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
2 tsp finely chopped fresh Rosemary
2/3 Cups dry white wine
4 Cups Quick Marinara Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 lb dried linguine
1/2 shredded Parmesan Cheese

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chopped chicken and cook until juices evaporate and chicken is golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the shallots, garlic and rosemary.  Saute until tender, about 2 minutes.

3.  Add the wine (it's about to sound like a real kitchen now) and stir to scrape up any bits of browned stuff on the bottom of the skillet.

4. Add the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the flavors blend.

Meanwhile...

Boil a large pot of salted water and add linguine.  Cook pasta until al dente, slightly chewy not cook all the way through. Drain pasta, reserving 1 Cup of cooking water.  Add pasta to sauce, adding cooking water a little at a time to moisten the pasta.

Transfer to a large serving bowl and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese!

Quick Marinara Sauce

Every cook needs a basic go to tomato based sauce.  This one is simple and is the foundation work for many great meals.  Jazz it up with extra garlic and dried red-pepper flakes for a spicy and bright sauce over penne, or use as is in a lasagna.  Make a big batch of it and freeze into smaller portions to have on hand for a quick dinner. This recipe makes about 6 cups.

2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes in juice
1 bunch of fresh basil, stems removed
1/2 Cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a blender, puree the tomatoes with their juice and the basil until almost smooth.  Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
3. Add onions and garlic, saute until very tender, about 10-12 minutes, you don't want the garlic and onions to brown as that may alter the taste of the sauce.
4. Add tomato puree, oregano and sugar, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
5.  Decrease the heat to medium and simmer until sauce begins to thicken, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.
6.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 


Recipe courtesy of Giada's Family Dinners by Giada de Laurentiis

Creamy Chicken Penne

At the holidays, someone gave me a cookbook from the amazing people at Philadelphia cream cheese! Could anything be better than an entire cookbook devoted to CREAM CHEESE? Well yes, there could be, while some of the recipes are a little off because cream cheese is slightly sweet and not always quite right. But quite a few of them are very tasty and very easy, like this one! 

It's sort of alfredo-ish but a little lighter, more suitable for a yummy Spring dinner!

2 Cups penne pasta
1 lbs boneless chicken breast, cut into chunks or strips
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Cups sugar snap peas (sugar snap peas are really hard to find in grocery stores where I live, so I used regular green peas))
1 small red pepper, chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 Cups milk
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
1/2 Cup shredded Romano cheese
1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

1. Cook pasta as directed on package.  Meanwhile, cook chicken and onions in hot oil in large skillet on medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, or until chicken is done and lightly browned.
2.  Add peas, pepper and garlic, cook and stir 1-2 minutes until veggies are slightly softened. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
3.  Melt butter in medium saucepan on medium heat.  Stir in flour until well blended.  Gradually stir in milk and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. 
4.  Add cream cheese and Romano, cook 2-3 minutes, stirring vigorously until smooth.  It will look chunky for a bit and then all of a sudden become creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5.  Drain pasta, place in a large bowl, add chicken mixture, pour cheese sauce and toss lightly like a salad.

Recipe courtesy of Philadelphia's Spread a Little Joy, A Collection of Simple and Delicious Philadelphia Recipes to Inspire and Enjoy