My love of pasta is not exactly a secret. It was one of the first dishes I taught myself to cook; I wrote about Barilla for my college application essay; and part of it may be genetic (I’m Italian). In college, whenever I wanted to feel fancy about my box a week habit, I would chop up an onion, sauté it with some olive oil and garlic, and add it to whatever red sauce had been on sale earlier in the week. This recipe is an extension of that trend, but slightly more sophisticated by caramelizing the garlic and using shallots in place of white onions.
This isn’t the most visually beautiful dish I’ve ever cooked, but it tastes amazing.
Adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics
I used whole wheat penne, but I think any type will taste great. This recipe can easily be slightly adapted to be vegetarian or vegan: simply leave out the chicken and cook with water in place of broth (which I used because I was out of broth and it still tasted amazing!).
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbs unsalted butter
3 - 4 shallots, sliced into 1/4-inch rings
1/4 cup peeled garlic cloves
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt (plus additional for water)
dash of black pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
1 chicken breast, sliced thinly
1/3 pound shaped pasta (penne, farfalle, rigatoni, etc)
Dash of white wine
Parmesan cheese for garnish
Equipment:
Medium pan, pot
Caramelize the garlic and shallots. First heat 1 tablespoon butter in your pan over medium-low heat, then add the shallots and garlic cloves. Stir gently for a few minutes, making sure they soak up as much butter as they can. Add the sugar, half the salt, and the pepper to the pan and stir to combine. Continue to cook and stir occasionally until the shallots and garlic are very soft and golden. This should take about 45 minutes to an hour. If you see the pan is getting dry add water 1 tablespoon at a time to correct.
About 30-40 minutes in would be a good time to start bringing the pasta water to boil.
Once garlic and shallots have caramelized, transfer to a bowl and set aside. Using the same pan, add 1/2 tablespoon butter and cook the sliced chicken breast pieces, about 4-5 minutes. Once completely cooked, remove from the pan and add to the bowl containing the shallots and garlic.
Using the same pan, add the chicken stock or water and bring to a boil. I added a dash of white wine here, but if you’re not a fan just leave it out. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrap up any brown pits sticking to the pan. Continue to stir occasionally for about 5 minutes; the mixture should reduce to about a quarter or its former volume. Return the garlic and shallots to the pan and keep warm (over low or even no heat) while cooking the pasta.
Make the pasta. After draining, return pasta to the pot and stir in remaining salt, garlic and shallots. Add parmesan cheese to garnish and enjoy!
Serves 2 (or possibly 1 if you have an appetite like my father).
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