Cooking Pasta Risotto Style, with Mark Bittman
Today’s New York Times Dining and Wine section features a great little article and video with Mark Bittman, cooking pasta risotto style. Now me, I’ve never heard of this, but apparently other people have, and do this thing. I got so excited by the very idea, I thought, hey, I’m going to try it this weekend!
You will find Bittman’s recipe for Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms, Risotto Style, below. Go here to read the article from today‘s Dining and Wine section, and to watch a short, 3:47 minute video of Bittman preparing the dish. Ignore the 20-second bit of silliness at the beginning of the video, and you’ll get to the part where you’ll see how this cool thing is done!
Pasta With Chicken and Mushrooms, Risotto Style
Ingredients
· 1 shallot or small onion, chopped
· 1 tablespoon minced garlic
· 2 cups crimini, shiitake or button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
· 1/2 pound cut pasta like gemelli or penne, or long pasta broken into bits
· Salt and freshly ground black pepper
· 1/2 cup dry white wine or water
· 3 to 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
· 2 boneless chicken thighs, diced
· Chopped fresh parsley, optional
· Freshly grated Parmesan, optional.
Preparation
· Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. When hot, add shallot, garlic and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms soften and begin to brown on edges, about 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy and coated with oil, 2 to 3 minutes. Add a little salt and pepper, then wine. Stir and let liquid bubble away.
· Ladle stock into skillet 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring after each addition and every minute or so. When liquid is just about evaporated, add more. Mixture should be neither soupy nor dry. Keep heat at medium and stir frequently.
· Begin tasting pasta 10 minutes after you add it; you want it to be tender but with a tiny bit of crunch. When pasta is about 3 to 4 minutes away from being done, add chicken and stir to combine. Continue to cook until chicken is done — it will be white on inside when cut — and pasta is how you like it. Taste, adjust seasoning, garnish with parsley and Parmesan if using, and serve.
Yield: 4 servings.
I plan to try this this weekend, if there’s time between work and play, but if anyone else tries it first, let me know how it goes!
I read this too and I don’t entirely get it. You are gonna’ have to do it and tell us!
I know, I think I AM just gonna have to do it! I am considering trying it on Saturday night, and pairing with a nice bottle of Chianti I bought yesterday. I’ll let you know how it goes!
I made this last night. I sauteed the chicken first, then removed it to a plate to keep warm while the pasta cooked, then added it back at the end. Also, I added 1 tsp rosemary and 1 tsp sage to the chicken.
It was a tasty dish but I overcooked the pasta slightly as I wasn’t familiar with the cooking method. But I would make it again and just watch the pasta cooking times
Thanks Patricia — I was really hoping to hear from someone who actually tried this and then posted a comment about how it turned out. Thanks so much for sharing!