I’m not ashamed to admit that I can’t cook without the guidance of a recipe. I’m still not ready to try dishes that I could call my own, much less prepare one that is based on stock knowledge haha!
So I am really happy to discover food magazines that provides easy meals to follow. I enjoyed preparing the Banana Chocnut Trifle last time so my excitement doubled when I tried this recipe from the Appetite Magazine (October 2011 issue) called Chicken and Asparagus Farfalle. We love chicken and asparagus so this recipe is just perfect.
The ingredients are simple and readily available in the supermarket. I guess this is what drew me to the recipe, among the many pasta dishes available in that issue.
For this dish (which makes 6 servings), you will need:
- 500g uncooked farfalle (bow tie)
- 2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsps butter
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 300g chicken thigh fillet, diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup white wine (I used rice wine instead, c/o my mom)
- 1 cup fresh asparagus, sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup button mushrooms, quartered
- 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, diced
- 2 packs Clara Ole Onion & Garlic Spaghetti Sauce 250g
Procedures:
Cook pasta according to package directions.
In a saucepan, saute tomatoes and herbs in butter and oil. Add chicken and cook for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until done.
Pour in wine. Cook for about 3 minutes. Toss in vegetables and diced cheese, then the Clara Ole Onion & Garlic Spaghetti Sauce. Bring in to a quick boil.
Toss in pasta. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.
The finished product:
It was good! AJ and my parents loved it. I wished I doubled the ingredients so I could make more than 6 servings to share at the office.
Opportunities for improvement: (a) will try not to mix the sauce with the pasta next time (the pasta absorbed the sauce easily so when we ate the leftover pasta for dinner, it was not that flavorful anymore), (b) will try to add another 250g Clara Ole Onion & Garlic Spaghetti Sauce to make it richer in taste and (c) will add the asparagus last to retain their crunchiness.
Overall, this is one recipe that we’ll love to have again and share to guests =) I look forward to whipping up another batch this Christmas!
