More Fridge Raider Pasta

Maybe my blog should be called pasta on Saturdays. It definitely seems to be a bit of a theme. By the weekend I seem to have forgotten that I need to buy food, so mostly end up not really sure what to eat. Creating the need to get creative from the freezer, long life fridge supplies and store cupboard bits and pieces.

Because I took it out of the freezer and had to use it up, I added chicken to this but in retrospect I wouldn't do it again. I've started finding chicken breasts a bit bland. I'd either leave it vegetarian (I know. I KNOW!) or maybe add some pancetta cubes. Also, this week I've heard about porcini powder (dried porcini mushrooms ground to a powder and used for seasoning). I just need to get my hands on some, but it sounds like the kind of thing that could have been great here.

Also, I used tagliatelle for this as I had it in. From what I've been reading this week about pasta shapes being used for particular types of sauces, I think I would use shells or something that would catch the sauce better.

Mushroom, ricotta and chicken pasta with pangrattato

Serves two

For the sauce:
Dash of olive oil
Knob of butter
1/2 small onion, finely diced
3 medium sized mushrooms, chunkily diced
Small handful of any dried mushrooms
Small chicken breast, cut into fairly small chunks
1 clove of garlic
1/2 glass of white wine
1 large tablespoon ricotta
1 large handful of grated parmesan

For the pangrattato
Large handful of fresh breadcrumbs
Small handful of pine nuts
1 clove of garlic
Dash of olive oil
Knob of butter
Zest of about 1/3 of a lemon
Small handful of chopped soft fresh herbs (I used chives)
Sea salt and pepper

I started by softening half a small onion in some olive oil. In the meantime I grabbed a handful of dried wild mushrooms and put them in a shallow bowl with just enough boiling water to cover them.

I added three fresh mushrooms to the pan with some butter, they'd been medium diced. If I'd been adding pancetta I would have added it now. When the dried mushrooms had been soaking for ten minutes I took them out of the water, squeezed the excess water out of them and chopped them finely. Adding them to the pan with the fresh mushrooms and the diced chicken. Cook until the chicken is browned.

In the meantime I made the pangrattato by adding butter and oil to a pan and adding a handful of breadcrumbs and a small handful of pine nuts. When theses were starting to brown I added some finely diced garlic, lots of maldons sea salt and black pepper. When the nuts and breadcrumbs were brown I took them off the heat and added about 1/3 of the zest of a lemon and some finely chopped chives. This could have equally been parsely or basil. Set aside.

Put the pasta on to boil

When the mushroom mixture is looking cooked through add a large splash of white wine and the mushroom soaking liquid. Turn up the heat and boil rapidly. Add a squeeze of lemon juice if you like. When most of the liquid has boiled away and there is just a suggestion of liquid at the bottom of the pan I added a large tablespoon of ricotta. If I'd had mascapone, cream or creme fraiche any of these would have done. I then added a large handful of parmesan and heated both through.

When the pasta was getting close to cooked I strained it reserving the cooking water. Added the pasta to the pan with the mushrooms and continued to cook until al dente using the cooking water in dribs and drabs to keep the pan moist.

Serve in a bowl topped with the pan granata.