For Alfredo Sauce
For perfectly cooked Pasta :
In a large shallow pan, boil water
and season with a generous amount of salt and drizzle in some olive oil. When
the water comes to a boil, throw in the pasta and give a quick stir. Cook on
high for 8-10 minutes. Check if it has cooked well through.
Then strain and rinse with some hot
water. You can cook the pasta while the chicken is cooking away, so that it
doesn't cool too much by the time it's ready to be mixed into the sauce.
Next, in a pan pour in some olive
oil, throw in the crushed garlic and the diagonally diced chicken and season
with some salt and freshly ground black pepper and sauté.
When the chicken pieces have almost
cooked through or when the water has completely evaporated, throw in the
finely chopped parsley and celery leaves. Add the mushroom and sauté until
chicken pieces start to brown slowly.
Then, crush or chop up some walnuts.
Walnuts are healthy and are enriched with Omega3 fatty acids. It also gives a nice soft crunch. Add that into the chicken
and sauté for a couple of minutes.
Then sprinkle on the dried oregano.
Oregano is the main ingredient that enhances the flavour and aroma of this
pasta.
Remove the chicken onto a dish. Into
the same pan, onto the chicken residue or into a fresh pan, through in the
butter. Then add the garlic and reduce the flame to low. Once the garlic has
infused its flavour into the butter, throw in the chopped parsley and celery
leaves. I have seen many people throw away the celery leaves. But, it has an
amazing mild flavour and can be used as a herb like cilantro or parsley. I
use it in many recipes. While chopping in the celery leaves, you can as well
include some young stems. Don't use the mature stem, 'coz we don't want that
strong flavour of celery.
Add the flour and whisk well into the
butter until u begin getting a nutty flavoured aroma. Flour acts as a
thickening agent.
I have added minimal butter, but, if
you want that real buttery flavour, you can add more. Then, season with some
salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then crush some sesame seeds and roast
along with the flour. That's another of my personal addition. The sesame
seeds infuses in an amazing flavour. You can use unroasted or roasted seeds, depending
on the flavour you prefer.
Then pour in half of the milk little
by little and whisk well to blend the flour well without leaving behind any
lumps. Once all the flour has dissolved well, pour in the cream and the water and the rest of the milk.
Stir continually and bring the sauce
to a boil on medium-low heat. When the sauce begins to thicken, or when
the sauce holds on to the spatula, it's ready.
Then, lower the flame to very
low and throw in the Parmesan cheese. Parmesan cheese is a cheaper substitute
for Parmigiano-Reggiano. You can
add both as well or any that's available.
But, trust me, no other cheese will
beat the Parmigiano-Reggiano and to
obtain that real flavour stick on to the recipe. Make sure you stir continually
or it will curdle the sauce.
Quickly add the chicken mix and combine well.
Make sure there is enough moisture. We need a creamy sauce not a dry one. Add
some mozzarella cheese for added
flavour.
Add the strained pasta and gently combine
the sauce into the pasta. If your pasta is overcooked, you might end up with
a sticky pasta or the pasta could dissolve into the sauce. Turn off the flame
as soon as the pasta warms up.
You can spoon out the pasta into an
oven proof dish or also portion it out into individual baking cups. Do not
press down. Grate on some Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Garnish with a generous amount of grated mozzarella cheese. If you
want to cut down on the cheese, you can, but, no Italian pasta is complete
without a cheese topping :) Sprinkle on some parsley and tiny pinch of dried oregano.
Drizzle on some olive oil. If you want to prepare this for a
dinner party, or you are going out, then lay it in a dish and garnish with
cheese, wrap it up with a plastic wrap and leave it in the refrigerator.
Before
serving, bake it for 7-8 minutes (if you are using individual cups)or 15
minutes (If you are baking it whole) or until the cheese melts and begins to brown on top and serve it hot.
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