CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM PASTA
SERVES 2
Great as a weekday meal as you can make the sauce in advance and a good way to use up any chicken after your weekend roast.
150g spelt penne
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
400g chestnut mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
If you are making the sauce and pasta at the same time, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions or until just tender.
Heat a large nonstick frying pan over a medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil, then half the
HHshallots and cook until translucent. Throw in half the mushrooms and fry for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden. Don’t worry about any liquid given out – this will add to the sauce. Remove and repeat with the remaining oil, shallots and mushrooms.
Return all the mushrooms and shallots to the pan, add the wine and simmer to reduce by about half. Transfer half the mushrooms and shallots and any liquid to a blender,
Hadd 100ml water, two thirds of the parmesan and some seasoning and whiz until smooth, adding a little more water if necessary. Stir this in with the rest of the mushrooms then add the chicken and heat through.
Drain the pasta using a colander and stir into the sauce. Serve scattered with the rest of the parmesan and an extra drizzle of oil. TIP
H
6 The colour of the most lucrative set, statistically, to own in a game of 15 down (6)
7 Murkier (8)
9 Way out there (4)
11 Railway station that is one of the most landed-on squares in
15 down (5,5)
12 Eventempered (6)
13 A woody plant, smaller than a tree, with several major branches (5)
14 Wine bottles holding the equivalent of two normal bottles (7)
16 Hectoring, deriding (7)
18 Unit of weight equivalent to 28.35 grams (5)
19 Articulate (6)
20 Placed close together or side by side (10)
21 Heavenly stringed instrument (4)
22 Unwaveringly loyal, especially to a country (4-4)
23 Legally guaranteed privileges (6)
DOWN
1 Statistically, the most landed-upon square in a game of 15 down (9,6)
2 Made public without permission (6)
3 A muscle that applies force to allow movement to occur (7) 4 Preserve jam? (8)
5 An unwelcome person (7,3,5)
8 Street that is statistically one of the most landed-upon squares in a game of
15 down (11)
10 Survey or inspect an