Wedding Pasta

In all honesty, I'm a little embarrassed I haven't made this before. It's a recreation of the pasta dish my wife and I had at our wedding. This is what I made for Valentine's Day this year. I would not have thought of it if Laura hadn't ordered a pasta dish from a restaurant near us that was strikingly similar.

One of the things I love about this recipe is that you can really do almost all the parts simultaneously. The chicken takes a while to cook, so you can start that, boil the pasta, then make the sauce, and the chicken should be done and rested by the time you're done. Obviously, how long it takes you is going to depend on your skill level and how much you have prepped ahead of time, but I think this is a good dish to use if you want to practice how to finish a meal all at the same time.

I can't believe that it has taken me over 4 years to recreate our wedding night entree. Well, here it is now, and it's pretty damn good.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1 tbsp of oil
¾ tsp of salt, divided
1 lb of bowtie pasta
2 tbsp of butter
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp of flour
4 C heavy cream
1 C shredded parmesan
½ C sundried tomatoes
¼ tsp black pepper

Directions:

Heat a cast iron grill pan on medium to medium-high heat for 5 minutes to make sure the heat is even. If you don't have one, a griddle or skillet will work just fine. Coat the chicken breasts with oil and sprinkle with ¼ tsp of salt. Cook for about 12 minutes per side, or until an inserted thermometer reads 160° F. Let the chicken rest while you prepare the rest of the dish.

In a large stock pot, boil and salt 1 gallon of water and cook the bowtie pasta until al dente, about 9 minutes. Set aside while you prepare the sauce.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute until lightly toasted. Add the flour and stir constantly until the butter is all soaked up and the mixture has taken on a golden brown hue.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly pour on the heavy cream, whisking constantly until the flour mixture is all worked in. Sprinkle on the remaining ½ tsp of salt and add the shredded parmesan. Stir in the cooked bowtie pasta, cut the chicken breast into bite size pieces, and add it along with the sun dried tomatoes. Season with black pepper and serve with a semi-dry riesling.