AUTUMNAL COMFORT BAKE
Cold weather is back in season
Now autumn is well and truly here, I am excited to break out some of my cold weather, comfort-food dishes.
Today’s recipe is great to feed up to eight people, and all of the work is done in advance so it can be prepared to the point of placing the cooked ingredients in the dish, then cooked for 35 minutes before serving.
To serve, throw the beans into boiling water, drain and toss through the butter and herbs.
I love this kind of entertaining that removes all of the stress and allows you plenty of time to chat with friends or family rather than being stranded in the kitchen.
There are loads of other ideas you can use to make this pasta dish your own.
For example, for a vegetarian option swap out the chicken and pancetta for roast pumpkin and caramelised onion, or if you’re not a mushroom fan, substitute braised leeks or fennel.
The crunchy crumb topping is also perfect for a classic mac’n’cheese, or my other favourite – baked gnocchi. The beans are purposely simple, the pasta dish has plenty of depth of flavour, and the herby, crunchy beans are the perfect accompaniment.
Chicken & mushroom pasta bake with crunchy parmesan crumb
Preparation: 50 minutes Cooking: approximately 90 minutes (including pasta) Serves: 6-8
20g dried porcini mushrooms 400g tube or shell pasta (I used conchiglione shells)
2 tablespoons olive oil 80g pancetta, chopped
800g chicken thighs, trimmed and chopped into thirds
25g butter
450g mixed mushrooms, sliced 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1⁄3 cup white wine 3⁄4 cup cream
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 pieces sourdough, crusts removed, roughly chopped
3⁄4 cup grated parmesan
Put the porcini mushrooms in a bowl and cover with one cup of boiling water.
Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta for two minutes less than the recommended time on the packet. Drain well.
Heat the oil in a large, heavybased pot then cook the pancetta for 3-4 minutes until golden and crispy.
Remove from the pan and set aside in a large bowl. Add the chicken to the pan, and cook in batches for four minutes each side or until cooked through, then remove from the pan and add to the pancetta.
Melt the butter in the same pan and cook the mushrooms, in two lots, (add the first lot to the chicken and pancetta when cooked) for 5-6 minutes until cooked through. Drain the porcini mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid.
Chop the rehydrated mushrooms and add to the pot then add all of the cooked ingredients as well as the garlic, wine and cream, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook a further five minutes together.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Put a layer of pasta into a deep 24cm x 32cm baking dish. Spoon over half of the chicken and mushroom mixture, stir around to combine then repeat with remaining pasta and mixture. Sprinkle with cup of grated parmesan.
Put the remaining parmesan in a food processor with the sourdough and pulse to make large chunky breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the pasta and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and heated through.
Serve with herby green beans.
Herby green beans
Preparation: 5 minutes Cooking: 3-5 minutes Serves: 6
500g green beans, trimmed
1 cup mixed soft herbs (I used Italian parsley and basil) 1 tablespoon butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
Roughly chop the herbs. Drop the beans into the boiling water for 3-5 minutes until they are cooked but still slightly crunchy.
Drain well, toss through the butter and herbs and serve seasoned with salt and pepper.