Wednesday, September 29, 2010

buttered up

My carnivore rarely hands out rave reviews of anything, including my dinner experiments. He doesn't put them down or spit them out, but he just dutifully cleans his plate and says thanks. What more could I ask for really? But, occasionally I know I have made something incredible. Now, he doesn't come out and exclaim how fantastic a dish is or anything like that. Instead he drops subtle hints. Like when I made this pasta dinner I knew I had a hit on my hands - he asked if there was enough leftover for the next day. He really knows how to butter me up. Speaking of butter - that may be the real reason he liked this dish so much. Let me explain...


To make these dishes (enough for dinner and leftovers) you will need the following:
1 stick of butter
3 cloves of garlic
1 lemon
2 tbsp of parsely
1 package of linguine or fettuccine
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes
1/2 cup of kalamata olives
2 organic chicken breasts
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
grated parmesan

Start by boiling your water and cook your pasta until al dente. In a small sauce pan melt the butter. Dice the garlic and add it to the butter. Next add in the juice of half of the lemon. Slice the rest of the lemon and set aside. Finally add in the parsley and simmer. Then get two skillets. Add enough olive oil in each to coat the bottom. Salt, pepper, and season the chicken breasts with garlic powder. Saute them in one skillet until the juices run clear and the outside is golden. In the other skillet cook the tomatoes and olives over medium heat until the pasta is ready. Once you drain the pasta, return it to the pot, pour in the butter sauce, and toss until it is coated. Add in lemon slices and toss again. In two bowls heap generous portions of pasta. Top one with a sliced chicken breast and the other with the olive/tomato mixture. Top with parmesan and a bit more parsley.

As with most recipes that call for a whole stick of butter (think anything by Paula Dean) it was delightful. The lemon actually lightened it up a bit. Just a bit. In any case, we both cleaned our plates - that night and the next one too!

6 comments:

  1. Oh man, this dish looks so AMAZING!!!!! I love how the olives are all up in there, must give it a ton of flavor. Awesome meal, it's bookmarked!

    Good eatings,

    Jaime and Jen DISH

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  2. Yummm, you're absolutely right about the butter! The more butter, the more better. (You can thank my mom for my sense of, erm... humor, lol.) Matt's currently out of town on business, so I think I'm going to surprise him with this when he comes back on Friday evening! :)

    - Stephanie, The Coexist Cafe

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  3. Glad you ladies like the looks of this one!

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  4. Yum! I eat pasta for practically every meal :) My favorite fall pasta dish, though, is this pumpkin and goat cheese lasagna! I made it once and I've been hooked ever since!

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