Family Bonding

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies!  Today I am posting a recipe for a pasta dish I quickly whipped up on Friday night right  before my 7pm shift.  My parents and brothers were driving to Philly from Boston for my nephews 1st birthday and would be arriving while I was at work.  Being the greek girl that I am, I knew I needed a delicious meal to welcome them that would refridgerate and reheat well.  I grabbed all the veggies in my fridge and started chopping.  I ended up with a delicious pasta with basil and veggies sauted in a garlic white wine sauce. The pictures aren't great considering I only had a few minutes to snap them, but they do the job :)

Here's the recipe for my last minute creation:

Simple Spring Veggie and Chicken Pasta in Garlic White Wine Sauce:

1 lb pasta of your choice: penne or spagetti

2 large chicken breasts, Cut into pieces 

1 large shallot, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

a bundle of asparagus, chopped into 1 in pieces

1 large red or orange bell pepper

8oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced

2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced and seeded

1 cup fresh basil, cut into ribbons

1 cup white wine

EVOO

salt 

pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta to cook al dente.  Meanwhile,  chop all the veggies.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken in skillet for 4-5 minutes depending on size of pieces, trying to only turn once. (You don't need to completely cook chicken through at this point, will be recooked later.)  Removed chicken and place in a covered dish to keep warm.  To the same skillet, add more EVOO (if necessary) garlic, and shallot. Lightly saute and stir with a wooden spoon releasing all the brown chicken bits from the pan.  Add mushrooms, asparagus and peppers. Cook about 5 minutes. Try not to over cook them: the point is to soften the veggies but still keep their color and bite. Add the chicken back to pan. Add the white wine and cook on medium high heat about 2 minutes until it has evaporated a bit.  Remove from heat and add fresh tomatoes and basil.  Stir in pasta.  Serve warm, topped with shaved pecorino romano or parmeasan cheese!