January and February are tomato months. Fruit ripened on the vine is sought after by people that love making their own tomato sauce stored in old beer bottles. If that’s too much trouble for you, don’t miss out trying this quick tomato sauce with chicken served with pasta. Don’t store it, just eat your good work. This costs a lot less than take away and is 10 times as good. You can use chopped fresh or canned tomatoes, both equally as good, especially in the months when there are no fresh tomatoes.
Vince Garreffa’s chicken and tomato pasta
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 3 kg vine ripe tomatoes I use Roma
- 1 -1.5kg approx. boiling chicken (I use Margaret River free range)
- 1 red onion fine diced
- ½ cup basil leaves
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil EVOO
- WA organic lake salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 500 g pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Cut a cross on the point of each tomato skin deep. Put into boiling water for one minute and then remove and place in iced water to cool. Skin the cooled tomatoes then cut them in half and squeeze out the seeds. Blitz the skinned deseeded tomatoes in a blender into a smooth sauce. Add 100ml of EVOO to a deep frypan and heat up for one minute.
- Now add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is a little coloured, then add the tomato sauce stirring well. When the sauce starts to simmer add the chicken and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook at a gentle simmer with a lid on covering 90 per cent of the pan, allowing a little steam to escape. Simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally.
- Now remove the lid and continue to cook, stir occasionally without the lid so the sauce thickens.
- Check that the chicken is tender and that you are happy with the salt and pepper. Next boil lots of salted water for the pasta and cook the pasta al dente. Now add the chopped basil leaves (can be torn instead of chopped) to the chicken and sauce, cooking for two more minutes and making sure it is well mixed.
- Strain the pasta then mix with the tomato sauce and chicken and serve hot, after doing a final test for flavour adding more salt and pepper if required.
Notes
Ps: Extras you might consider: Parmesan cheese, chilli, bay leaves or a little nutmeg while cooking the chicken and tomatoes together.
Vince is the ambassador of Mondos Butchers located at 824 Beaufort Street, Inglewood. They are open Tuesday to Friday 9am – 5.30pm Saturday 9am to 2pm. Phone 9371 6350 or visit www.mondo.net.au
