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04/16/08 |
                          
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Pollo all'arrabbiatta Yields 4 10oz. servings 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cubed 2 oz. smoked crimini mushrooms 3 c. marinara/tomato sauce 1/3 c. dijon mustard 4 ea. whole garlic, chopped fine 1/4 c. red wine 1/2 T. red chili flakes 1 ea. small hot chile (like Thai, serrano, etc.), cut into small rings 2 oz. pomace olive oil 12 oz. fresh tagliatelle or fettuccine S&PTT (salt & pepper to taste) In a large skillet, heat oil, S&P, chili flakes and chicken over high heat. Sauté until chicken is mostly done, add garlic and sauté until garlic is golden. Deglaze the pan with red wine. Add marinara and dijon, turn heat to medium-high if you can watch it, medium if you're busy with other stuff, and allow sauce to reduce by two-thirds (about 10-15 minutes). Cook pasta until tender and hold for sauce. Before removing from heat, add mushrooms and chile to the sauce. Stir well to incorporate. Have heated pasta in a large bowl, pour sauce over pasta, and toss well. Garnish with chopped fresh basil and serve.
Note from GG: "All'arrabbiatta" roughly translates to "angry sauce," which is pretty darned appropriate for this dish. Depending on what sort of chile you decide to use, this sauce can bring the flames. I used Thai chiles in mine because they're some of my favorites, but I think my tolerance for spicy stuff is pretty high. Chef Stephan, on the other hand, wouldn't hesitate to use habaneros or one of those distilled capsaicin type hot sauces (like Dave's Insanity Sauce), but that's because Stephan is a certifiable lunatic. Anyway! I think the addition of the smoked mushrooms also add a nice compliment to the whole 'fire' metaphor, and you're certainly not limited to criminis; just about any button-type mushroom would work well. Smoking mushrooms is a bit tricky, since they soak up flavor really fast. (I found this out to my dismay when I tried this at work.) My suggestion would be to either smoke them whole for three minutes, or sliced for about one minute. As far as the protein in this recipe goes, chicken seemed like a natural choice because it's pretty mild-flavored, though you could probably get away with prawns or maybe even turkey. I don't think this is a red meat kind of sauce, nor do I think that pork would work. It just doesn't feel right in my head. Oh, and if things do get a bit too hot for ya, be sure to have a cold beer or a lemon-lime soda on hand to chill your tongue. Why? Alcohol cuts through the oils of the chili, as does the acidity of the soda. I think the carbonation does something, too, but I can't remember right now. Sue me.
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