february 2009

much like Ernest Hemingway, david has found adventure and excitement in every aspect of his life. he was a deep sea diver, one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet, for 15 years. he has been a professional stunt man for 25 years, and he has been an award winning landscape designer for 30 years. whether he is designing someone's outdoor living space or designing an incredible recipie in the kitchen, he adds flair and originality.




David's Chicken Tetrazzini

This is one of my favorites!

9 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 pound white mushrooms, sliced

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups milk, room temperature

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

12 ounces linguine

1 cup of frozen peas

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 roll of Ritz crackers, crushed

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees .
Spread butter over a 2-inch deep baking dish.
Melt a little butter and oil in a deep large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the hot pan cook till golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side, (or you can skip this step by grabbing a cooked chicken from the deli). Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool then shred the chicken into bite-size pieces

Now, with the same pan let's add a little more butter and oil for our mushrooms and sauté over medium-high. Drop in the onion, garlic, and thyme, and sauté until the onion is translucent.

Time to pour the wine... one glass for you and about ½ a cup in the pan, turn it down to simmer and enjoy your glass of wine.

(just one glass we have more cookin' to do)

O.K., now let's put the mushroom mixture in a bowl with the chicken.
Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for a couple of minutes.
Whisk in the milk, broth, nutmeg, along with 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and about 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Turn the heat to high, cover and bring to a boil then simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens a little (whisk often for about 10 minutes)

Start a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender, stir occasionally then drain.
Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and maybe a little parsley to the chicken mixture. Mix until the sauce coats the pasta.
Move the pasta mixture to the baking dish. Stir the cheese and Ritz crackers in a small bowl to blend.
Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta and dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake uncovered, until golden brown (about 25 minutes).

enjoy


As with any recipe, have fun with it....think of it as a guide not a blueprint.