Creamy 'Chicken' Farfalle
One of my absolute favourite recipes is my mum's chicken bowtie pasta. Calling it chicken farfalle makes it sound a lot fancier than it is. It is just one of those recipes that was a staple growing up. It is also ones of those dishes that made me drift from my bedroom to the kitchen because I could recognise the smell of the frying basil, chilli and garlic wafting through the house. You know like the cartoon, where the incredible smell personified beckons you towards a delicious pie. It is definitely a decadent dish, and that is probably the only reason we didn't eat more often that we did. Honestly though, when food is this good, guilt never even enters the picture. Everyone in my family loves this recipe, but I am not sure anyone really knows where the recipe comes from. It is handwritten in one of my mum's recipe books in US cups, giving some clues. Yet, this dish definitely sings of Italy, but I have never seen anything similar on an Italian menu. Honestly, the origins of the recipe don't matter. My, my mum's original recipe can be found in the archive. This one, I promise, is just as good. Since I no longer eat chicken, I wanted to make a version with vegetarian cheese and meat free chicken. Ghastly to all your omnivores I am sure. The mushroom stock really punches the earthiness back into the sauce, and honestly, you'll think you're eating chicken. I don't think my dad could even tell this version apart from the original.
Ingredients
- 500g of frozen Quorn Meat Free 'Chicken' Pieces
- 150g of sun dried tomatoes, in oil or rehydrated from dried
- 60ml of grated vegetarian parmesan
- 120ml of cream
- 120ml of mushroom stock
- 1 tbsp of plain flour
- 100ml of white wine
- 1tsp of dried basil
- 1/8 tsp of dried chilli flakes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 250g of Farfalle pasta
Preparation
- Sauté the chilli, basil and garlic in a generous glug of oil or knob of butter.
- Once the garlic is slightly golden and there is a lovely scent emerging from the pan, add the chicken pieces.
- Stir the chicken in the pan to cover it with the garlic, chilli and basil. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the sun dried tomatoes, either whole or in strips. Then pour over the white wine. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Then add the mushroom stock and simmer for about 8 minutes.
- Stir in the cream, stock and flour. The flour needs to be stirred into the wine or cream prior to adding it to the pan. This prevents clumps of flour in the sauce. Make sure to add the cream in small amounts to begin with to temper the temperature of the sauce.
- Finally, pour in the parmesan and let simmer for another 2 minutes.
- Turn down the heat to the lowest setting and cover.
- Cook the Farfalle according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, pour the pasta into the chicken and sauce. Combine well.
- Serve with a sprig of parsley and a scatter of parmesan.
