homeaboutourstoryphotographyinfertility

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Linguine with Chicken Ragu

We were having dinner guests & I have this thing about always wanting to try new recipes. I realize that having people over to taste your cooking for the first time is not the best time to try something NEW... i mean, stick to what you know, right? But i did it anyway. They said they like pasta the best & maybe pasta with chicken or something. My dear friend Robyn introduced me to this recipe & told me it is a hit in her family full of boys! I thought i would give it a go! And it turned out to be a hit! It was delish! =) 

It is easy to make, but the prep takes awhile. We cut up the chicken & onions ahead of time so that was ready to go. You will also be making homemade marinara! Robyn had told me that she likes the marinara so much she often makes double & freezes half for later. I would have to agree - it was delish! =) But if you're short on time you may also want to do the marinara sauce early.

Linguine with Chicken Ragu 
by Giada De Laurentiis 

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hr 30 minues
Serves: 6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, finely chopped
salt & freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2/3 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
4 cups marinara sauce, recipe follows
1 pound linguine
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt & pepper & cook until the juices evaporate & the chicken is golden, about 10 minutes. 
Add the shallots & garlic & saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the wine & stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Add the rosemary & mix well. Add the marinara sauce & bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low & simmer gently until the flavors blend, about 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine & cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Add the linguine to the ragu & toss to coat, adding some reserved cooking liquid to moisten (i forgot to do the reserved cooking liquid part - i don't think it made any difference). Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with parmesan & serve. 

Marinara Sauce
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled & finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 (32 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves

In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over medium-high flame. Add the onions & garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots & 1/2 teaspoon each of salt & pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes & bay leaves & simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove & discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt & pepper to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover & refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.) 

Yield: 2 quarts

There are about 434 calories in one serving of this recipe. I know pasta is sometimes considered "BAD" but i used whole grain pasta & had only 1 serving, which was plenty filling! However, figuring out the total calories in a recipe is not that easy, so i'm not positive that it is 100% accurate. You can check out the nutrition info here on Sparkpeople to see how i figured it up! 


ENJOY!







1 comment:

  1. Fancy fancy!!! Sounds delicious!!! I love trying new recipes too although it is always risky when company's coming over! :)

    ReplyDelete

Comments are my favorite.