The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.
~Calvin Trillin
I could not agree less to this quote, somewhere in the corner of my mind is an obsession with leftovers. And I consider this an art. The day something is thrown out which means its rejected by our cat too, I mourn for the loss. I love the idea of toying with leftovers. My hubby has a simple theory. He believes the food tastes better the next day and even better the day after. So When I had two pieces of leftover grilled chicken from my birthday party and half a pack fusilli, I thought why not try something new.
I kept it quite simple. The chicken was well marinated and grilled a day ago and I had no intention of chopping veggies in the morning so all I chopped was an onion and this was the simplest pasta we ever had. Now when I rethink, Would I ever marinate a chicken and grill it for a pasta- I smile to myself saying 'NO' and that's the fun in having these leftover experiments once in a while. Not that I would not bother doing it all over for a nice meal but the wow factor in tossing leftover and whatever comes handy on a sunny morning, that kind of feeling is something I can never simulate. So to the readers, if you are determined enough to grill the chicken for pasta ( which I do think is a nice idea) here's the link to chicken http://www.ooonuready.blogspot.in/#!http://ooonuready.blogspot.com/2012/09/pepper-garlic-baked-chicken.html else I want you to be more positive about leftovers, especially after those crazy parties.
These days I do manage to save few pieces for the next day before I serve them to guests because my hubby and I savour them better the next day and plus I am super excited at the possibility of a new experiment. And not to forget how tired you feel after a party the previous night.
Ingredients for Fusilli with Grilled Chicken
Grilled chicken- 200 gm
Fusilli- 250 gm
Onion- 1 large
Olive oil- 2 tbsp
Basil - 2 tbsp
Pepper- 1 tsp
Salt- to taste
Directions
Boil the fusilli in 2 cups of bboiling water. Drizzle some oil into the water to keep the fusilli from being sticky. Strain the fusilli in a colander and pour ice cold water to keep it cool and prevent it from getting over cooked. In a pan heat some oil and saute the sliced onions. When the onions brown add the chicken followed by pepper and basil. Saute for 10 minutes and add the fusilli.
A term ofen used with cooking pasta in Al dente which literally means 'to the tooth'. It means the pasta should be firm when you take a bite and should not be too soft that it sticks to your teeth. My hubby loves things that does not require chewing he calls it melt in the mouth. But with pasta that's disrespectful. It happens to me at times when my hubby insists it's not well cooked or when he finds the other ingredients uncooked after I add the pasta. So given a chance to cook pasta without him I aim for Al dente. So once you add the fusilli give the pan a couple of tosses and take the pan off flame. I promise you it's well cooked to enjoy your pasta.
If you are doing this from scratch that is minus my leftover label toss in few mushrooms and leeks or artichokes. I have recently discovered a heartful pasta should not have more than three ingredients so I am avoiding the over flooded experience with veggies and meat. Pastas of that sort are made but if you check out Italian cook books or If you have ever been to Italy you would learn the simplest pastas taste heavenly and have always two or three ingredients. And the combination matters. Which reminds me I have few pics from my stay in Italy and I would love to share my experiences of eating in Italy. Let's see some other time :)