Posie’s Place

I really admire Jamie Oliver, he’s a great chef and his contribution in revolutionising the diet of school children all over the UK cannot be understated.

Jamie’s latest cookbook ‘Jamie’s Italy‘ reflects his journey through Italy which he undertook to rekindle his passion for cookery. He certainly achieved his goal, reading through this book you experience the different regions of Italy and their very different use of ingredients.

Here is the recipe for Spaghetti Tetrazzini from Jamie’s Italy:

SPAGHETTI TETRAZZINI

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 20g Dried Porcini mushrooms
• olive oil
• 4 Chicken thighs, skinned and cut into bite-sized pieces (I used 2 boneless chicken breasts)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 350g Mixed fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 200ml White wine
• 455g Dried spaghetti
• 500ml Double cream
• 200g Parmesan cheese, grated finely
• Sprig of fresh basil, leaves picked and torn

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Soak the porcini mushrooms in boiling water for a few minutes (just enough to cover the mushrooms).
3. Season the chicken and brown in a large pan containing some olive oil.
4. Strain the porcini, retaining the soaking liquor, chop and add to the pan with the chicken along with the garlic and the rest of the mushrooms.
5. Add the wine and soaking liquor to the rest of the ingredients and reduce the heat.
6. Simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and the wine has reduced slightly.
7. Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet in salted water then drain.
8. Add the cream to the pan with the chicken, bring to the boil and then remove from the heat.
9. Add the spaghetti to the chicken and toss well, add three quarters of the grated parmesan and all of the basil and mix thoroughly.
10. Transfer to an ovenproof dish, sprinkle over half of the remaining cheese and bake until golden and crispy.
11. Serve on warmed plates, sprinkling over the remaining cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

This is what my version looked like when I took it out of the oven.

I think that some cubes of smoked ham would be a really nice addition.

I halved the weights given in the recipe since I was only cooking for two but even then I would say that there is plenty to feed four, we’re planning to have the rest tomorrow night for dinner.

p.s It reheated really well the following night.

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