Friday, October 3, 2008

Pappardelle with Chicken and Mushroom Ragù




I just ate the leftovers of this pasta for lunch, and I would have to say that it was one of the best pastas I've ever made. Seriously, delicious. I picked out this recipe from epicurious.com earlier this week when I'd had a crazy day at work and just wanted to go home and cook something fun for dinner. I am a huge mushroom lover, and eat chicken more than any other meat, so this recipe jumped out of the "quick and easy recipes" list as a perfect pasta dish. I was intrigued by the pappardelle, because it's a type of pasta I've heard of but never actually tried. The picture on epicurious sealed the deal; a stop at Whole Foods on the way to the train, and this pasta would be tonight's dinner.

Chicken thighs make this taste more 'meaty' than white breast meat, which makes it quite satisfying. I also like that it called for crimini mushrooms instead of regular white button mushrooms; again, very satisfying. I added artichoke heart quarters to this dish, because I had them in the freezer from Trader Joe's. They're frozen like regular veggies and not marinated in oil, so they don't taste too heavy. Artichokes were a perfect addition to this dish. I really loved the pappardelle, too. It was wide, which made it very easy to scoop the perfect sauce to pasta ratio onto the fork. I think Pappardelle would be one of the easier pastas to make by hand, too, and I would love to sometime try to make it from scratch.

The recipe is easy, satisfying, and quick to make. With a nice salad and tasty bread, this could make a great pasta meal to serve friends. And the flavors were perfect for fall, with the cooler weather we've been experiencing lately. This is from the October issue of Gourmet, so you might even be able to find it on the news stand still, if you hurry!



Pappardelle with Chicken and Mushroom Ragù

from epicurious.com and October 2008 Gourmet Magazine


Ingredients
6 ounces cremini mushrooms
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon chopped rosemary
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice
1/2 pound dried pappardelle
5 ounces baby arugula (about 8 cups)


Accompaniment:
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preparation

Pulse mushrooms and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until just golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.
Add mushroom mixture, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.


Add vinegar and cook until evaporated. Add chicken and tomatoes (with juice), then simmer, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon and stirring occasionally, until sauce is just thickened, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pappardelle in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente.

Add arugula to sauce and stir until wilted. Stir in drained pasta and cook 1 minute.

10 comments:

Linds said...

Yum! This looks delicious. I am starring this one to try for sure!
Thanks for sharing :)

Darius T. Williams said...

Ahh - looks really simple and delicious and easy. I love the cheese over top!

-DTW
www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

Colleen said...

Wow, this looks good! And it uses all of the ingredients I seem to be working with lately - can't wait to try making this!

Sarah said...

This looks like a seriously great pasta dish. I'm going to try this one out very soon.

Elly said...

Oooh this looks so good! I am a huge mushroom love too and a REALLY huge chicken thigh lover :) I just bookmarked this to try. Hopefully us Chicago WCers can get together soon!

Anonymous said...

Oh, I'm TOTALLY starring this! It looks WONDERFUL!

Proud Italian Cook said...

Oooh Erin, You got me in the mood for pappadelle! Your dish looks wonderful!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

I amso hungry right now and your pasta has me drooling!

Anonymous said...

This sounds and looks FANTASTIC! I'm totally starring it!!

elly said...

Well, after having this bookmarked for over a year and a half, I FINALLY got around to making it. We loved it, thanks for sharing!