Day 11. Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chicken

I just finished the newest book about Julia Child, "Dearie" by Bob Spitz. The book had lots of detail about Julia's (and her husband Paul's) lives; their growing up years, even great details about their courtship - it was a long courtship since it took Paul a bit of time to figure out he was in love with Julia.  The book carries through to the bitter end, when Julia Child died at the age of 91 in 2004.  I wanted her to keep on living and never wanted age to catch up with her because she had such vitality, but eventually, when she realized that the treatment for the sepsis would not return her to health, she decided to go out on her own terms.

And that reminds me that I looked up Rosie Daley - and apparently she made enough money from her "In the Kitchen with Rosie" cookbook that she was financially set for life, and now Oprah has a different personal chef.

And tonight's meal was Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chicken.  Excellent recipe, and actually pretty straight-forward to put together. I was debating whether to cook a real dinner or just make Malt-0-Meal, having had a long, busy day but thought I could at least cook the chicken for the pasta, and make the dish another night.  But once I got started with the chicken I realized it was a simple meal to make and I forged ahead.  The dish took about an hour to prepare, which included roasting the chicken breast.  I am putting a couple of stars by the title of this recipe.

Penne with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chicken

1/4 C sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 C boiling water
6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breats
1/4 C dry white wine
3 T chopped shallot (my only deviation, since I used gr. onions)
1 T Italian seasoning (Ha! I guess I lied on the deviation thing.  I made up a T. of what I thought Italian seasoning must be)
1 1/4 C chopped fresh portobello mushrooms
1/2 C fresh or frozen peas, thawed
8 oz. penne pasta
Light vegetable oil cooking spray (Olive oil worked well, instead)
5 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
 1 T flour
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t crshed red pepper flakes
1/2 C chopped fresh basil
5 medium Black olives, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl, add the boiling water, and set the bowl aside for the tomatoes to reconstitute.

Combine the chicken and wine in a shallow baking dish.  Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on top.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (took my chicken 25-30 minutes), until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear.  Remove and shred the chicken, reserving the cooking juices.

Fill a pot with water (for the pasta) and bring it to a boil while proceeding with the recipe.

Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and slice them thinly.

Pour the reserved cooking juices from the chicken into a saute pan.  Add the shallots, mushrooms, peas, and the sliced sun-dried tomatoes.  Saute over low heat for a few minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the vegetables are wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and over it to keep the vegetables warm.

Add the penne to the water in the large pot, which by now should be at a full boil.  Cook over high heat to desired doneness, 8-12 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce.  Preheat a small, heavy saucepan for about 1 minute over medium heat, then spray it twice with the vegetable oil (I added 1 T of olive oil, instead).  Toss in the garlic and flour, then whisk in the evaporated milk.  Add the nutmeg and red pepper flakes.  Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, until thickened.  Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and stir in the basil.

Drain the cooked pasta and transfer it to a warm serving bowl.  Add the shredded chicken, vegetables, and sauce.  Toss and garnish with the sliced olives.