Mmmm, pasta, pasta, pasta! Talk about comfort food. A few weeks ago, I went to an event where they had a made to order pasta station as part of the food choices available.  It was incredible, if not slightly overwhelming. Between the fresh produce, the cured meats, the cheeses (which I declined to eat, but could still appreciate), how could you not just keep coming back for combo after combo until you blind someone when the button on your pants pops off at a terminal velocity?

The chef had a few pre-prepared options for those who couldn’t decide where to start (e.g. newbies such as myself).  In one chafing dish, there was pappardelle (big, wide noodles) with chicken, mushrooms and alfredo.  In another dish, there was farfalle (bow tie) pasta that had been sauteed with mild Italian sausage, mushrooms, sliced Kalamata olives, capers and marinara.   Ding! Ding! Ding!  Winner in chafing dish two.

Of course, in a public setting, you don’t want to belly up to the trough.  You have to comport yourself in a manner befitting the situation and the guests. So, I took a dollop of pasta, a little slice of bread and proceeded to hooverize the whole thing after the first delicious bite.  

It was hot, tangy, salty, and totally satisfying.  And all I could think was, “Why haven’t I made this myself?”  I love all of those things: capers, sausage, olives, mushrooms– well, not mushrooms.  Overall, this recipe had things that I readily keep on hand at home.  Since I couldn’t really tie it on at this event, I told myself that I’d try my hand at this recipe when I had a chance. 

Fast forward two weeks and I’m pouring over the recipe book for an easy, yet tasty dinner to serve to some guests.  Then I remember! Pasta with a few of my favorite things.  Now, I’m no a culinary genius when it comes to determining how much of something a recipe needs.  Sure, I know a quarter cup from a quarter teaspoon, but I couldn’t tell you how many quarters of whatever you’re going to need to make something taste worthwhile.  So, off to Google to plug in ingredients and hope for some solid hits. 

Success!  There were lots of suggestions, however the recipe from Lulu’s Recipes was the closest to what I was looking for.  I subbed out the mushrooms, and opted to leave out the sausage in favor of some lightly fried chicken breasts. We had a pseudo-chicken parmigiana going on.  And knowing my children the way that I do, I set aside some of the pasta before I tossed it with the sauce since I knew that Morgan and Coever were going to give me some static (e.g. “Um, I like noodles that are plain with butter, thank you, very much.”).

Buttered noodles included, the dish was a success.  Everyone had seconds and I’m pretty sure an attempt was made for thirds.  It was even better the next day, once the flavors had time to marry, as my dad likes to say. 

I’m feeling pretty confident in my recipe choices as of late, so I’m going to up the ante for next week.  White Bean and Ham Stew, courtesy of Food and Wine Magazine.  Stay tuned!