Okay here's what I did to make dinner last night. Unfortunately I don't measure any of my ingredients, so I don't have exact proportions. I cook by consistency, and I just know what everything is supposed to look like and smell like.
For the pasta:
I used linguine, about 2/3 of a 12 oz pkg.
1 stick of butter... NOT margarine... that stuff's disgusting.
about 5 cloves of garlic, minced fine
about a tbsp of each: (dry spice)marjoram, thyme, basil, parsley.
combine all above ingredients In a smal sauce pan over LOW heat. You know the temp is correct if you know you don't have to worry about your butter burning. when the butter has melted, give it a whisk, to mix everything together real well. coverand turn down heat a little more.
For the veggies: remove the stems and tips of six baby artichokes. remove the thick tough outer leaves as well, about two three layers. place in a large pot that already has acheived a rolling boil. leave in pot covered for five to seven minutes. remove from poy immediately, and place in an ice water bath for about the same time thwey were in the pot. drain and set aside. I like mushrooms alot, so I used probably about 2 1/2 cups of tiny white button mushrooms with caps about an inch in diameter at the largest. clean with a produce brush, or small paring knife. do not get them wet for any reason whatsoever. It makes them slimy, and ruins the taste of the mushrooms. cut the ends of the stems off and cut legthwise in half. set aside. mince a clove of garlic. Now take your artichokes and quarter them length wise. you will need a very sharp paring knife to do this, as artichokes are fibrous. place in a large saute pan, on high with about 1/3 of a stick of butter. do not let your butter burn. I add water to the pan about a few tbsp at a time to keep my butter and veggies from burning, but still allowing for a good mild scald. when the inside of the artichokes begin to brown, throw in your garlic and mushroomsmix touroughly and cover, reducing heat to medium. check on the m some what frequently, and when the mushrooms are cooked, reduce heat to the lowest setting.
for the chicken: place two chicken breasts in a pan heated to medium with a little olive oil. salt and pepper ( i prefer white pepper on chicken) the meat and brown the meat, covered. when the juices from the meat have started forming in the bottom of the pan, chop some fresh rosemary, and slice a clove of garlic into medalions. add half of the ropse mary and garlic to the pan evenly covering the meat, re-cover, and wait about 5-10 min. turn the meat and cover the other side with the rest of the garlic and rosemary,and cover. keep an eye on it, so it doesnt burn, but keep it covered as much as you can.
the finishing touches: Combine the butter/herb mix with your freshly drained pasta and mix well. making sure the pasta is coated evenly. put some of the pasta on a plate, along with your veggies, and your chicken. sprinkle parmesan( the real stuff, not that crap from a can) over everything and enjoy. * oh, I ended up not using the crookneck squash, because I ate it while I was cooking....... I hope you guys are having a wonderful day.....
xoxoxoxox -Voltaire
For the pasta:
I used linguine, about 2/3 of a 12 oz pkg.
1 stick of butter... NOT margarine... that stuff's disgusting.
about 5 cloves of garlic, minced fine
about a tbsp of each: (dry spice)marjoram, thyme, basil, parsley.
combine all above ingredients In a smal sauce pan over LOW heat. You know the temp is correct if you know you don't have to worry about your butter burning. when the butter has melted, give it a whisk, to mix everything together real well. coverand turn down heat a little more.
For the veggies: remove the stems and tips of six baby artichokes. remove the thick tough outer leaves as well, about two three layers. place in a large pot that already has acheived a rolling boil. leave in pot covered for five to seven minutes. remove from poy immediately, and place in an ice water bath for about the same time thwey were in the pot. drain and set aside. I like mushrooms alot, so I used probably about 2 1/2 cups of tiny white button mushrooms with caps about an inch in diameter at the largest. clean with a produce brush, or small paring knife. do not get them wet for any reason whatsoever. It makes them slimy, and ruins the taste of the mushrooms. cut the ends of the stems off and cut legthwise in half. set aside. mince a clove of garlic. Now take your artichokes and quarter them length wise. you will need a very sharp paring knife to do this, as artichokes are fibrous. place in a large saute pan, on high with about 1/3 of a stick of butter. do not let your butter burn. I add water to the pan about a few tbsp at a time to keep my butter and veggies from burning, but still allowing for a good mild scald. when the inside of the artichokes begin to brown, throw in your garlic and mushroomsmix touroughly and cover, reducing heat to medium. check on the m some what frequently, and when the mushrooms are cooked, reduce heat to the lowest setting.
for the chicken: place two chicken breasts in a pan heated to medium with a little olive oil. salt and pepper ( i prefer white pepper on chicken) the meat and brown the meat, covered. when the juices from the meat have started forming in the bottom of the pan, chop some fresh rosemary, and slice a clove of garlic into medalions. add half of the ropse mary and garlic to the pan evenly covering the meat, re-cover, and wait about 5-10 min. turn the meat and cover the other side with the rest of the garlic and rosemary,and cover. keep an eye on it, so it doesnt burn, but keep it covered as much as you can.
the finishing touches: Combine the butter/herb mix with your freshly drained pasta and mix well. making sure the pasta is coated evenly. put some of the pasta on a plate, along with your veggies, and your chicken. sprinkle parmesan( the real stuff, not that crap from a can) over everything and enjoy. * oh, I ended up not using the crookneck squash, because I ate it while I was cooking....... I hope you guys are having a wonderful day.....
xoxoxoxox -Voltaire
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
stubertmcfly:
BAM! cooking with Voltaire.... MUCH better than that stupid "BAM!" guy (or whatever the fuck he yells). you should have your own show. i would watch for sure and i don't even eat critters or butter!
dogslife:
I'm a little intimidated by the artichokes, having never prepared them before, but I think I'll give this a whirl next week (except I'll use all the subpar ingredients you've banished from your kitchen). Thanks, Voltaire!