Q: How do you make holy water?
A: You boil the hell out of it.
A few weeks ago I saw a post on a friend’s Facebook page that mentioned a restaurant in Walnut Creek, CA called Pasta Primavera. There was high praise for a chicken dish with pesto and gorgonzola. It sounded so good that I went to check and see if I could find the recipe.
The Pasta Primavera menu that I found on the restaurant’s website describes the dish as: Sauteed pieces of chicken breast with garlic, white onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach in our creamy pesto-gorgonzola sauce, tossed with rigatoni.
Yum!
I searched for a copy cat recipe, but was unsuccessful. I then pieced together Yelp reviews along with some similar recipes to come up with this Chicken And Rigatoni With Pesto Gorgonzola. I had lots of broccoli on hand so used that instead of spinach. It’s a supremely good pasta dish with lots of bold flavors. By the way, pesto and gorgonzola are a match made in heaven.
Chicken And Rigatoni With Pesto Gorgonzola
Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 lb rigatoni pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 tablespoons chopped onions
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup sliced mushrooms
12 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce
6 tablespoons gorgonzola
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350℉.
2. Bring the broth and water to a simmer along with the garlic. Add the chicken and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove chicken and, when cool enough to handle, chop into small pieces. Reserve the broth.
3. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a greased 2 quart casserole.
4. Sauté the onions and broccoli in the olive oil until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook till they lose their moisture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Spoon the vegetables and chicken over the pasta. Sprinkle with gorgonzola.
6. Spoon the pesto sauce over the chicken and pasta and toss to combine.
7. Spoon a few tablespoons of reserved chicken broth over all.
8. Cover and bake for 20 minutes to warm through and melt the cheese.
Serves 6 to 8
The first thing that caught my attention about Douglas Dare’s forthcoming album ‘Aforger’ was the cover art.
Whaaaa?
I don’t know what is going on with his mouth. What is that? Wet hair? A mop dripping paint?
Who knows, but it is kind of cool and disturbing.
What is totally cool is the beautiful opening track “Doublethink”. The lyrics, the lovely piano, the gorgeous vocals….this song has it all. It’s reflective and compelling listening.
Check out Douglas Dare on his Website where you can buy the music.
Cheers!
