This is currently the dish we turn to when it has been a long day and the cooking-love level is not as high as usual when we get home and start thinking about dinner. By no means am I saying that this dish is not delicious! We have made it enough times that it is a no hassle dinner for us. And I love making white sauce, no matter how tired I am. This was not always the case but you know what they say about practice, right? I remember, in the pre-dating days, my mother-in-law asked me to whip up a white sauce while helping her with dinner. I replied with an embarrassed smile that I don't have enough confidence in my white-sauce-making-abilities to make it for my friend-who-is-a-boy's family. So, I made the salad...
Chicken Pasta with Mushrooms and Bell Peppers
Serves 3 not-so-hungry people or 2 extremely-hungry people
110g Dry Penne Pasta
2 tbsp (30ml) Olive oil
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups Red Bell Pepper/Capsicum
3 cups Mushrooms - I use a mixture of white and oyster mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 Skinless chicken breasts (you can decide how meaty you want your pasta)
110g Dry Penne Pasta
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente.
2 tbsp (30ml) Olive oil
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups Red Bell Pepper/Capsicum
3 cups Mushrooms - I use a mixture of white and oyster mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste
- In a frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and brown for 1-2 minutes. Make sure not to burn it!
- Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 8 minutes).
- Add the bell pepper and cook until soft but still firm.
- Remove mushrooms and pepper to a bowl and keep warm.
2-3 Skinless chicken breasts (you can decide how meaty you want your pasta)
- In the same pan, add the chicken and salt and pepper (or other chicken spice that you prefer). When the chicken is cooked, return the mushrooms and pepper to the pan. Stir in the white sauce (recipe below) and mix well.
- Pour the cooked pasta and chicken in your favourite serving dish and garnish with fresh herbs.
White sauce (Béchamel sauce)
Béchamel sauce is one of the mother sauces in French cuisine and forms the basis for many other sauces. But don't let the name scare you off! Equal amounts of butter and flour gives us the roux - the thickening agent for the sauce. The proportion of roux and milk determines the thickness of the sauce. One tablespoon each of butter and flour will provide a thin sauce, two tablespoons a medium sauce and three will give you a thicker consistency. The basic béchamel sauce can be transformed into other sauces like:
But for now, let's look at the basic white sauce recipe:
1 tbsp (15ml) Butter
1 tbsp (15ml) Flour
pinch Salt
Pepper
- Crème sauce (add heavy cream)
- Soubise sauce (add finely diced onions sweetened in butter)
- Cheddar cheese sauce (add cheddar cheese, dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce)
- Mornay (add cheese)
But for now, let's look at the basic white sauce recipe:
1 tbsp (15ml) Butter
1 tbsp (15ml) Flour
pinch Salt
Pepper
- Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan.
- Stir in the flour, salt and a dash of pepper. (I usually remove the pan from the heat as to not brown the roux)
- Gradually add the milk, stirring to combine with the roux (at this point, I return it to medium heat while stirring continually)
- Cook until thickened and smooth.
If you don't want to become the habitual salad-maker, then start perfecting your white sauce skills! Who knows? You may even unknowingly impress someone special's mother.
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