Recco for the record

It’s surprising that we don’t have this meal more often because it is one of my all time favourite restaurant remakes. Many years before “ChellzKitchen”, I would look up meals that I had enjoyed in restaurants online. The ingredients would sometimes be listed and I would attempt to recreate the dishes as best as I could. Recco con Pollo was my most favourite thing to order at Primi ya Riverwalk.

In hind sight, I probably should have tried other pasta dishes. If I use this particular dish as a measure for their likely range of pasta offerings, I most likely missed out. The other reason I enjoyed ordering this pasta dish was because Pollo is Spanish for chicken and because I took Spanish as a language class in high school, I knew the correct pronunciation of it. So as a dinner table card up the sleeve, (without showing off too much), I would make sure everyone at the table said it properly so they too could place an order next time. The double ‘l’ is sounded as yoh ....so it is Poyho.

When my then boyfriend now turned husband and I started spending more and more time together, there were days I would make meals for us to enjoy together. One said dish which we still enjoy together, and now with our two boys, is my very own version of Recco Con Pollo. I don’t mind using ready made pasta sauce for this lip smacking pasta. I get a big jar and make sure I get a few other fresh herbs and ingredients to add to the sauce. Doing this adds a complexity to the sauce, the different notes give it a nice touch of homemade goodness. Enjoy this dish for lunch or dinner. The original recipe calls for chicken. Trust me, it is still good with no chicken. If you are anything like me, making meat sometimes feels like a little admin. When it does, leave it out because there’s nothing wrong with a meatless dish once in a while even if you have already ticked off meatless Monday for the week. To the lady who asked for the recipe on our Facebook page...sending you well wishes and I hope this recipe helps you win your way to his heart. Have fun recreating this delicious show stopping pasta. It’s packed full of flavour and is a good comfort food that’s super easy to make.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

2 garlic cloves minced

2 – 3 tsp of chili flakes/powder depending on how hot you like it

1 tin chopped tomato, blended or 440g All Joy pasta sauce

Water

125ml fresh cream

Salt to taste

Pasta of your choice. I prefer Penne

Chopped coriander or parsley for garnish

Parmesan, extra chilli and garlic to serve if you wish

Instructions

In a large wide bottomed pot, sauté the chopped garlic cloves in oil

Slice the chicken into pieces at an angle and add to garlic. Add the chili flakes and salt.

Once the chicken has almost cooked through, add the blended tomato/pasta sauce. You have the option of adding your uncooked pasta*(1 pot meals are currently super trendy. I am traditional and cook it separately and mix with sauces later) and add just enough water to cover. The water will help the pasta to cook with the other liquids.

Once the pasta has softened and the tomato mixture starts to thicken, add the cream. Reduce until desired consistency. Check seasoning at this stage then add in your chopped herbs. Serve with grated parmesan and extra chili and garlic and a side salad of choice.

One said dish which we still enjoy together, and now with our two boys, is my very own version of Recco Con Pollo