Chicken Pasta

We had a friend in Cedars-Sinai Hospital. We wanted to have a drink with her son and her business partner so we met them at a bar near the hospital. They didn’t want to join us for dinner so we went to Comme Ca for dinner. They have a Monday night special of Roast Chicken. We had appetizers then the huge chicken was delivered to us. It was way more than we could eat. We had lots of leftovers and asked them to package the chicken for us, we were going to make soup with the leftovers. when the waiter returned with the chicken it was in a bag much too heavy for just the chicken. I looked inside and they had done something really cute. The chicken was in a container but in addition there was a large container of cut up raw vegetables for the soup: onion, celery, carrots, etc. There was also a recipe for chicken soup and a bouquet garnni to flavor the soup.

We decided to de-bone the chicken and make soup with the carcass. With the chicken meat that we had we found a recipe for a Chicken Sauce for Pasta.

Billy stopped by; Kevin was at a work related dinner. Billy was out for a walk and just happened to wind up at our house at dinner time. We made a salad from the fantastic persimmons that are at the market now. They are very sweet! We had lots of leftovers and the next day I drove down to Long Beach and took them to my sister and Sharon.

Fettuccine with Venetian Chicken Sauce
From: On Top of Spaghetti by Johanne Killeen and George Germon

Serves 6 – 8 as a main course

In Venice, water is everywhere. With the canals and the lagoon spilling into the Adriatic, one associates Venetian cooking with fish and seafood. It's true you can eat delectable local sea creatures in a select group of impeccable restaurants. We have feasted on razor clams, scallops, feisty mantis shrimp, inky cuttlefish, and octopus — the list goes on. But there is more to this cucina. You could be regaled by grilled radicchio from nearby Treviso; steamed white asparagus from Bassano; wild mush¬rooms prepared in every imaginable guise; criminally rich Venetian calves' liver; risotto with vegetables, meats, or white truffles; silky, homemade pastas; and some very impressive desserts. One dish we have found inspirational is a delicate vegetable sauce made with tiny pieces of diced chicken tossed with ribbon noodles. We took this food souvenir of Venezia home with us and created a sauce and pasta that evoke happy memories of that magic city. Our elegant, suave sauce is made with carrots. Its striking yellow-orange color is food for the eves.

2 cups homemade chicken stock
8 ounces skinned and boned chicken breasts
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 onion
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup canned tomato, preferably organic
1 pound dried fettuccine or fresh fettuccine
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Bring the chicken stock a boil in a saucepan.

2. Cut the chicken breasts into lengthwise strips about the width of a finger. Drop the strips into the boiling stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove the cover and set aside, allowing the chicken to cool in the liquid. When cool, transfer the chicken to a cutting board and reheat the stock.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoon of the butter in another large/saucepan. Stir in the garlic and cook over low/neat until the garlic becomes golden. Add 1 cup water to prevent the garlic from browning. Stir to combine. Add the carrots and salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until the mixture is nearly dry with just a bit of water left. Be vigilant and stir constantly toward the end of this step to be sure the carrots do not brown at all. Add the hot stock and tomato juice. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, set the cover ajar, and simmer gently for 35 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft. Puree with an im¬mersion blender until you have a smooth puree. Set aside.

4. Cut the chicken strips lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices, then cut across to make 1/8-inch dice. Add the chicken to the sauce and reheat gently.

5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the water and drop in the fettuccine. Cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to a heated platter or shallow gra-tin dish. Toss with the remaining butter and fold in enough sauce to coat the noodles generously. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve at once. Pass more cheese at the table.