I want to show with this recipe how easy it is to make fresh pasta and how much faster it is to cook. (Of course, if you have a great fresh pasta in your neighborhood, its great too). But with the use of a pasta machine (or even just a rolling pin), you can make your kitchen something extraordinary.
Another way to spin up a pasta dish is to use higher quality ingredients, or ones of higher flavor levels. For me, adding that next level to a mushroom and spinach pasta would be to replace them with morel mushrooms and fresh arugula. They add amazing new flavor dimensions that regular mushrooms and greens don't offer, with earthy notes of the morel and peppery arugula. That kind of flavor is unparalleled, and makes for a great dish to impress!
Recipe serves 4 people.
For the Pasta (if not purchasing):
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste
For the Sauce:
1 pound chicken breast, cut into 8 thin breast tenders
1/4 pound morel mushrooms, washed and halved
1/4 pound fresh arugula
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper to season
Cooking/Assembling:
1) In a mixing bowl or on a marble surface, place your flour into a mound and make a well in the middle. Scramble your eggs, and pour into the well. Stir in the flour slowly, then combine into a single piece of dough. Cover in plastic wrap, and store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to rest.
2) Roll the pasta dough as thin as possible, then cut into whatever shape you desire. Tagliatelle (1/8 inch thick, long ribbons) is the best for this pasta dish.
3) Cook in salted boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain and toss in olive oil and season to taste.
4) In a large frying pan, add olive oil on a medium high heat. Cook the chicken breast tenders for 3 minutes on each side, then remove from the pan.
5) In the same pan, add in the garlic and morel mushrooms. Season to taste, then cook until the mushrooms turn brown and shrink, about 3-4 minutes.
6) Deglaze with the chicken stock, then add in the cream. Bring up to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes.
7) Stir in the arugula. When it wilts, add the chicken breasts. Coat each chicken breast, then remove.
8) Stir the pasta into the remaining sauce and serve with the chicken breasts.
Using some simple but quick tricks allows you to take cooking to a whole new level in your new home! Things like fresh pasta and morel mushrooms set pasta dishes apart, and it makes this dish an amazing, enjoyable, and fun experience!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think and what you would change. If you make it at home, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =)
