A couple of months ago, I was thrilled to learn that Chef Rich Sweeney, Executive Chef of Confidential Restaurant and Loft was a contestant on ‘Top Chef.’ We have a lot of the same friends, and I used to see him at Pecs occasionally. Needless to say, the first thing that ran through my mind was “OMG! I got to get him to do a recipe for the Box!” By the time I contacted him, he was in the throws of the show, and I found out we needed to run everything through the PR people at Bravo (who were very nice and helpful).

By the time we got it all together, I was in the troughs of “Must Eat Foods for 2009.” With my readers now armed with an arsenal of culinary knowledge, it is time to start a series of recipes that can be prepared quickly, are healthy, and taste amazing. It is obvious in Rich’s recipe that with proper timing and proportions, a combination of simple ingredients can have truly synergistic effect and give you flavors you crave.

Cooking at home can be quick and easy, tasty and affordable. For all my friends who do not cook, or have only cooked the same foods for the last eight years, give this pasta a try. I think you will find it lovely. Although fate was not kind to Rich on ‘Top Chef,’ whose season just ended, we are grateful he shared this recipe with us. Besides he is bear hot and easy on the eyes!

This is a dish I usually make for my boyfriend when I manage to get out of work a little early, and am not in the mood for a full-on production of a dinner. I can easily be multiplied for serving more than two people.

Ingredients

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation

Put on a pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to directions.

While pasta water is boiling and pasta is cooking, heat a sauté pan / skillet over medium-high heat. Add in about 2T of oil, and swirl to coat the pan. Sauté shallots and garlic for 1 minute, and then add in pepper flakes. Cook 1-2 minutes more.

Add in cubed chicken and brown on all sides. Don’t worry if you start to see little pieces of the chicken stick to the pan – it’ll make the sauce taste better later!

Deglaze the pan with the wine by adding the wine to the pan & scraping up anything stuck on the bottom with a wooden spoon. These little bits, called fond, will help make the sauce taste richer! Stir occasionally until the wince is reduced by half.

Add in the chicken stock/broth and stir to combine. Continue cooking and reduce until there is about 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid in the pan.

Rather than drain the pasta, use a slotted spoon to retrieve the pasta and put it straight into the pan with the chicken and sauce. (A little hint – undercook your pasta so it’s just harder than al dente, then it will still cook and soak up some of the sauce, flavoring the pasta a little more, and reducing the sauce further). Turn off the heat.

Check the sauce for seasoning with salt & pepper. Before you add the salt, add in some of the parmesan cheese and stir to incorporate/melt the cheese. Then add in salt and pepper.

Add in the basil and toss the pasta to coat in the sauce. Serve with more parmesan cheese on top, if desired.

Yield

Serves two