Thursday, April 7, 2016

FUSILLI ALFREDO WITH VEG STIR-FRY, PAN-GRILLED CHICKEN AND GARLIC BREAD

This was another 1 of those days when the whole family was cooking together .. as the saying goes….. families that cook together… have fun together .. 

So, it was hubby and myself on the pasta, the chicken and the salad and my 6 year old on the garlic bread ! 

FUSILLI ALFREDO WITH VEG STIR-FRY, PAN-GRILLED CHICKEN AND GARLIC BREAD



All-in-all , a lovely evening J
Ahhh…utter bliss…….!

This is a complete meal and has 5 different elements to it which I have detailed by Ingredients and Method.

Ingredients:

PAN GRILLED CHICKEN:
500 gms Boneless Chicken (Cubed)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp Garlic paste
1 tbsp Ginger paste
Salt to taste
3 tbsp Olive Oil

BRINJAL STIR FRIED SALAD:
1 medium sized Brinjal (Cubed)
2 large onions (Sliced)
2 large tomatoes (cubed)
2 red raddish (cubed)
Handful of groundnuts (meetha shing)
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
Salt and Black pepper to taste

PASTA:
2 cups Pasta (Fusilli/Penne/Rigatoni)
300 ml milk
2 tbsp all-purpose flour (Maida)
2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese
0.5 cup grated Cheddar cheese
3 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 tsp Oregano seasoning
2 tsp chilli flakes
Salt and black pepper to taste

GARLIC BREAD:
6 slices of bread
2 tbsp Garlic Bread Seasoning
1 cup grated Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese(mixed)

METHOD:

TO COOK THE PAN GRILLED CHICKEN:

Marinate the chicken with the ginger, garlic, freshly ground pepper and salt for 30 mins prior to grilling.


Heat up 3 tbsp olive oil in a griller pan and transfer the chicken pieces to the pan.  Let it cook for around 5-7 minutes or till golden brown, then turn over and cook the other side till the chicken is cooked all the way through.




TO COOK THE BRINJAL STIR-FRY:


Heat up the pan and drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil.


Add the brinjals, onions, raddish and tomatoes and stir over high heat for 5 minutes.






Add the groundnuts.

Season this with Italian Seasoning, Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Transfer to a serving dish. Keep aside.



TO COOK THE PASTA:

Boil water in a large pot. To make sure pasta doesn't stick together, use at least 4 cups of water for every cup of noodles.


Add salt to the water. Now add the pasta. Stir.


Test the pasta by tasting it. It should not be too soft, else it will break in the sauce later.
Drain the pasta. Keep aside.  

TIP:: Reserve the water in which the pasta was boiled for later use if required.



TO MAKE THE WHITE SAUCE:

Add 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (Maida) and whisk very well.
Add 1.5 cup boiled and cooled milk. Keep whisking in low flame.


The mixture will start to thicken. At this stage add chilli flakes, Italian Seasoning, pepper powder, salt and oregano.


Keep whisking till the sauce further thickens and turns smooth.
Add the cooked Pasta to the sauce. Stir to combine well.




Transfer to an Oven-Proof Casserole and top up with the grated Mozzarella cheese and the Cheddar cheese.



Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Just before mealtime, pop it in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden, crisp and bubbling.


You can either have it cold or at room temperature. Or if you are like me…. Hot --Straight from the oven J


TO MAKE THE GARLIC BREAD:

Mix 100 gms butter with garlic bread seasoning and 2 cloves of grated fresh garlic. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
Take 6 slices of bread and brush bread liberally with the garlic mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.





Brown in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 180°C.



Serve immediately.

Enjoy this scrumptious meal with good company some vino blanco J