Tonight's dinner comes courtesy of a suggestion from Francesca, made during the Great Chicken Pasta Controversy.
Francesca mentioned a ragu bianco as being the acceptable way to have chicken and pasta on the same plate. She assured us it was good and urged us to try it. Clearly an actual Italian person's view on pasta was not something to be sniffed at so I found a recipe (this one) and gave it a try.
Soffrito, garlic, onion and oil were sweated in a big pan (I omitted the chilli for kid reasons; I am doing Spice Training but fresh chilli's unpredictable), the chicken sealed, and thyme, rosemary and bay added.
I chucked in a couple of glasses of white (I made double quantities as per usual), simmered for a few minutes as directed and added the chicken stock to cook down for another half hour.
This bit I was slightly concerned about, especially as I cackhandedly added a bit too much stock and feared ending up with some kind of weird noodle soup - but it reduced down enough to give a light sauce consistency. Once it was done, pasta was drained, tipped in, stirred through, and everything served up with parmesan and black pepper. I ignored the parsley suggestion because I'm yet to be convinced that it brings anything much to the party beyond looking green.
I suspect I chose the wrong pasta - the recipe pic was made with penne, and I think something a bit more substantial would have been better with such a light sauce. But it worked - interesting, because that precise combination of flavourings and veg I'd normally use as a casserole, with beans, possibly potatoes and green veg, but good.
It's on the make-again list and I really enjoyed trying out something different. Love this blog. Thanks, Francesca!
Francesca mentioned a ragu bianco as being the acceptable way to have chicken and pasta on the same plate. She assured us it was good and urged us to try it. Clearly an actual Italian person's view on pasta was not something to be sniffed at so I found a recipe (this one) and gave it a try.
Soffrito, garlic, onion and oil were sweated in a big pan (I omitted the chilli for kid reasons; I am doing Spice Training but fresh chilli's unpredictable), the chicken sealed, and thyme, rosemary and bay added.
I chucked in a couple of glasses of white (I made double quantities as per usual), simmered for a few minutes as directed and added the chicken stock to cook down for another half hour.
This bit I was slightly concerned about, especially as I cackhandedly added a bit too much stock and feared ending up with some kind of weird noodle soup - but it reduced down enough to give a light sauce consistency. Once it was done, pasta was drained, tipped in, stirred through, and everything served up with parmesan and black pepper. I ignored the parsley suggestion because I'm yet to be convinced that it brings anything much to the party beyond looking green.
I suspect I chose the wrong pasta - the recipe pic was made with penne, and I think something a bit more substantial would have been better with such a light sauce. But it worked - interesting, because that precise combination of flavourings and veg I'd normally use as a casserole, with beans, possibly potatoes and green veg, but good.
It's on the make-again list and I really enjoyed trying out something different. Love this blog. Thanks, Francesca!
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| OK, probably the parsley would have prettied things up a bit |
Hurrah! I'm glad it was a success. This is a semi-madeleine moment for me, as I had a very, very nice ragu bianco at some museum cafe I can't now pin down (I thought it was in Venice at the Guggenheim a few years ago with Stef, but I am now not 100% that we ate there, and have become convinced it was at the Jacqumart-Andre in Paris. It is possible there were two ragus), which I remember with the happiness of having recently seen Just Enough Splendid Art but not enough to be knackered, and then museum catering working out well instead of being a disappointing sandwich.
ReplyDeleteShould say I'm v keen on parsley, btw. Crunch and a gentle green flavour are real bonuses. Plus, they elevate bowls of beige.
DeleteI wonder if I can make this into a blog challenge. Hmmm. Hmmmmm. Proparsley propaganda planning starts here.
You’re welcome Jo! I enjoy too exchanging recipes and suggestions with you.
ReplyDelete