Seaworthy chicken pasta

One of my friends is leaving UCLA to join the Navy, so this week a few friends and I got together to send him off with a small party fit for a sailor.

Obviously I did the cooking (and the hosting) and I made a large batch of chicken pasta with sauteed mushrooms, garlic, onion and a (store-bought) bruschetta sauce.

This dish is very easy and looks as great as it tastes. Whenever I’m thinking up a new recipe I always try to consider things like color and texture in addition to flavor ““ for example with this dish I added in thinly sliced green bell pepper, which works really well with the onions and mushrooms, but also adds a burst of color and a bit of crunch to the pasta.

I say this every week, but for this dish it’s especially important you prepare all your ingredients before you actually turn the stove on.

Usually the first thing I do when I make a pasta dish is put on a pot of water and let it start to boil. I also like to use whole grain pasta as often as possible because it’s better for you ““ I like the Barilla Plus brand; it tastes just like the real thing.

When you’re preparing mushrooms, use a damp paper towel or cloth to rub the dirt off, cut off any hard part of the stem, and then slice about one-eighth-of-an-inch-thick vertical pieces.

For the pepper, rinse and dry it, then set it upright on your cutting board. Put the knife about a quarter of an inch away from the stem and slice one of the sides off, then knock out the seeds and take any of the white insides out with your knife. Place the clean pepper-chunk inside up on the cutting board and make thin, top-to-bottom slices.

Mince the garlic by separating the individual cloves, taking the blade of a large knife, and pressing hard on them. Peel away the skin, then place the flat part of the knife blade firmly on a clove and slowly press and drag the knife across the cutting board. The garlic should look pretty flat and pulverized now; just chop it finely from this point.

The “correct” way to mince an onion is actually pretty hard, and involves quite a bit of work. When I’m not feeling up to it (like when I cooked this dish) I just slice it thinly and then start chopping at the pieces with a very large knife ““ not exactly rocket science.

Also, make sure your chicken breasts are completely defrosted before you start this dish, because otherwise you will end up with a beautifully cooked outside and raw meat just under the surface. There are two ways to defrost chicken: in the fridge for about a day or under cold running water for at least half an hour.

Begin the dish by sauteing the mushrooms in some olive oil over medium-low heat. Don’t season them yet. When they begin to cook, add the pasta to a pot of salted, boiling water. Adding in a generous amount of salt flavors the pasta during the cooking process.

Chop the fresh herbs and season the chicken with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning, then set it aside.

When the mushrooms are brown, add in the onions and garlic as well as salt and pepper, then begin to panfry the chicken with olive oil in a separate pan. It will cook through if you cook it for about four minutes on each side, and if it turns out under-cooked, it will finish up just fine when you add it to the onions in a few minutes.

When the chicken is done slice it into bite sized pieces and add it to the mushroom and onion mix. Then add in the bruschetta, peppers and fresh herbs and cook for one to two more minutes.

At this point the pasta should be done, so drain it and put it back in the pot. Add the chicken mix to the pot, stir, and add in grated Parmesan cheese to taste.

This recipe makes enough food to feed several guests, or keep for a few days in the fridge. My party guests left full and ready to sail.

If you enjoy cooking for sailors e-mail Pesce at [email protected].