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.
I just moved down to London and was thrilled to find I have a massive window for natural light! I would be more thrilled if it wasn't getting dark earlier every day, hmph. This risotto is the first proper meal I have made in my new, little flat. My new course is definitely going to make my life hectic, so I am being drawn to simple, quick but obviously delicious meals. Since it is getting colder, warm, rich and comforting meals are also especially high of my list. This roast tomato, mozzarella risotto is so quick to make and easily made your own. I adapted it from
River Cottage Veg Every Day!, and loved the end result. Switching up the tomato sauce can also add new heaps of flavour. The original recipe calls for adding the tomato sauce at the end, but I found adding a little bit along along the way with the stock gorgeously infused the flavours of the sauce into the rice. This combination of flavours reminds me so much of a great margarita pizza. A generous garnish of basil or parsley is also a great accompaniment.
Ingredients Serves 3-4
250g risotto rice
200mL of tomato sauce (I used roast tomato and garlic)
750mL of vegetable stock
1 large yellow onion
1 tsp Italian herbs (dried oregano, dried parsley, dried basil)
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp balsamic glaze or vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
1 125g ball of mozzarella
1 large handful of spinach, finely chopped
Preparation Approx. 40 minutes
- Heat a large knob of butter or a glug of oil in a large saucepan or medium heat.
- Add the onion and saute until lightly golden (8-10 minutes).
- Add the Italian herbs and chilli flakes into the pan and head through with the onions.
- Stir in the balsamic vinegar or glaze and coat the onions throughly. If sticking, add a splash of stock.
- Now add the rice and cook, stirring for a couple means to release the nuttiness of the rice, coating it in the onion and spices.
- Start adding the stock in quarters along with a quarter (50mL) of tomato sauce. Stir often, cooking the rice in the liquid. The liquid should be at a slow but steady simmer (not boil).
- Before adding your final instalment of liquids, add the fresh spinach.
- Once the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, continue to add the stock and tomato sauce in quarters.
- After about 30 minutes all the stock and tomato sauce should be used up. The rice should be cooked through and most (not all) of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Finally, season with salt and pepper and add the mozzarella in chunks. Make sure to taste before you season if your tomato sauce and/or stock has added salt.
- Stir gently then serve!
My mum's chicken bowtie pasta was one of my absolute favourite dishes. Right up there with a traditional lasagne. Since changing my diet I have been on the hunt for veggie alternatives to my old favourites. I've been going about this simply by replacing the meat with an even better pairing. In this case I thought spinach and artichoke would go wonderfully with the creamy, garlic and wine base to this pasta sauce. I am still excited about the finish product. Obviously it is not going to taste exactly the same as with chicken, but the core flavours I love are there. This dish is luxurious, rich, creamy but also warm, sweet and full of depth.
Ingredients Serves 3-4
230g of orzo, uncooked
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp of olive oil
400g of artichoke hearts, roughly chopped into bite sized pieces
100g of spinach
1 tsp of dried basil
1/8 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp of flour
1 cube of vegetable stock
120 ml of sun-dried tomatoes
120 ml cream
60 ml of dry white whine
60 ml of grated parmesan
Cooking Time!
- Saute the garlic, artichoke, basil and crushed chilli peppers in the olive oil on a medium/high heat in a deep dish pan.
- Cook and stir for 4 minutes until everything is lightly golden.
- At this point cook the orzo according to packet instructions.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes tomatoes and wine and simmer for approx. 10 minutes.
- Stir in the cream, stock and flour (you may need more or less depending on desired thickness of sauce).
- Add the parmesan and let simmer for another 2 minutes.
- Stir in the pasta and serve! A drizzle of balsamic glaze is a perfect accompaniment.
Serves 3-4. Approximate cooking time 30-40 minutes.
