Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
Food styling: Clare Lewis. Styling: Sue Radcliffe
Great as a weekday meal as you can make the sauce in advance and a good way to use up any chicken after your weekend roast.
Serves 2
150g spelt penne
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
400g chestnut mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
100ml white wine
30g finely grated parmesan
sea salt, black pepper
150g cooked chicken, thinly sliced
- If you are making the sauce and pasta at the same time, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions or until just tender.
- Heat a large nonstick frying pan over a medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil, then half the shallots and cook until translucent. Throw in half the mushrooms and fry for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden. Don’t worry about any liquid given out – this will add to the sauce. Remove and repeat with the remaining oil, shallots and mushrooms.
- Return all the mushrooms and shallots to the pan, add the wine and simmer to reduce by about half. Transfer half the mushrooms and shallots and any liquid to a blender, add 100ml water, two thirds of the parmesan and some seasoning and whiz until smooth, adding a little more water if necessary. Stir this in with the rest of the mushrooms then add the chicken and heat through.
- Drain the pasta using a colander and stir into the sauce. Serve scattered with the rest of the parmesan and an extra drizzle of oil.
TIP For a creamier mushroom sauce, add a little crème fraîche or soured cream to the finished sauce.