Cajun Chicken Alfredo

I want to rant so bad today but I won't because whenever you say something on the internet it becomes public property and most of the public is such an ass that they will say whatever they feel like regardless of your situation.

So I keep most of my personal life and stuff to myself because people usually don't understand shit until they have to go through it themselves.

Anyway, once in a while there comes a pasta recipe that is extremely easy to make and very delicious to feast on that you all of a sudden forget all of  your problems are willing to ignore your strict diet routine.

Cajun Chicken Alfredo is one of those pastas.

Yes you heard it right. Cajun seasoning is an all purpose seasoning which is used in a lot of foreign recipes. I bought it from Green Valley (Mall of Lahore) but you can also get it from Al-Fatah and essajee's if you are from Lahore.

Even if you can't find Cajun seasoning you can make it at home by compiling the following things:

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder (optional)

2 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Just combine all of these ingredients and you'll get your Cajun spice mix.

Now let's get down to our recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

450 grams of penne pasta

4 cooked chicken sausages, sliced

500 grams chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon cajun seasoning

Salt 1 tablespoon

400 grams cream

1/2 cup of milk

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated mozzarella

1/4 cup parsley/coriander

Boil the pasta as per the directions of the packet.

Meanwhile the pasta is being boiled you can finely chop your coriander/parsley and garlic cloves.

Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Keep it aside.

How on medium head add olive oil to a pan.

Add chicken, sausage slices and chopped garlic.

Cook until chicken is cooked and keep stirring so the garlic doesn't burn.

When the chicken loses the pink color add salt and cajun seasoning.

Mix and cook it with the pasta.

When the chicken is completely cooked and the spice mix has blended in, turn the heat to low and add the cream and milk.

Now add the grated parmesan, mozzarella and chopped coriander.

Give everything a good mix.

Add the pasta to the white sauce with chicken and mix it well until the pasta is completely coated. 

This is it.

Sprinkle some more chopped coriander over it and Cajun seasoning. Enjoy the creamy treat and get lost in the rich Cajun flavor.

Cacio e Pepe

Today I am going to make (which I have already made but I would still make it sound like I am doing this right now) Cacio e Pepe which was really hard to pronounce but I saw a video on youtube and I was good to go after listening to it 3 or 4 times.

Cacio e Pepe is the Italian mac and cheese. It is very different from the American one and has literally 5 ingredients.

Taste wise it is a bit plan so you might have to add a teaspoon of salt to bring out more flavor. We Pakistani people are very salty so let's begin with this.

INGREDIENTS:

half packet bucatini or spaghetti

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup grated Adam's chilli pepper cheese

1 cup boiled pasta water

First we will cook the bucatini for 2 minutes less time than mentioned on the packet.

Reserve one cup of boiled pasta water.

Now we melt the butter in pan and add black pepper and salt to it.

Add the pasta water, pepper cheese and Parmesan.Turn the heat to low and mix it well until the sauce is a bit thick.

Now add the bucatini and stir it. Add more black pepper if you feel like but not too much.

Mix it well and it is ready to be eaten.

If you are not a vegetarian please have a piece of meat with it because this recipe is strictly for the vegetarians or the people who enjoy pasta/spaghetti.

The very cheesy and peppery Cacio e Pepe.

Penne Arrabiata‏ w/ Grilled Honey Lemon Chicken

Unlike people tomatoes are amazing.

You can't make ketchup out of people but you can definitely make some ketchup out of tomatoes.

Tomatoes have a very important role in the making of various pizza and pasta sauce.

One of the most famous and easy to make pasta sauces of all time is Arrabiata. Arrabiata means angry which I am mostly without no reason and it is originated from southern Italy.

Arrabiata uses a great quantity of tomatoes which makes it tangy, spicy and unlike anything you've ever tasted before.

I was unaware of this sauce until Zowha from Islamabad made a request; who also thinks I look like Umair Jaswal but people are blind and tomatoes aren't. I found it quite simple but never knew it tasted this amazing.

Add Penne Rigato pasta to it, top it with some Grilled Honey Chicken and let me tell you that you Mr. or Miss will be experiencing a pasta meal of your lifetime.

Ingredients For Penne Arrabiata:

500 grams of Penne Rigato pasta

920 grams of canned peeled tomatoes with juice (around two and a half cans)

4 cloves of garlic crushed and finely chopped

1 tablespoon of red chili flakes

2 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley or coriander if parsley is not found

1 teaspoon of mixed herbs

1 small onion finely chopped

1 teaspoon pepper or more for taste

1 tablespoon salt or more for taste

Ingredients For Grilled Honey Chicken:

Juice of 4 lemons

4 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

Now first and foremost is boiling the pasta perfectly. For that you need to boil water in a pan, add a tablespoon of salt and add the pasta.

Stir occasionally and let it cook according to the instructions of the packet.

Meanwhile our pasta cooked, I prepared marinade for the chicken and marinated it for 20-30 minutes.

Add lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, paprika, salt, black pepper and ginger powder in a bowl and mix it.

Place the chicken in between a plastic wraps and flatten it by using a meat hammer.

Put chicken in a container, spread the marinade over it and rub it properly on the chicken. Put the container in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile the chicken is marinating we will make the pasta sauce.

Heat up oil in a pan on medium heat.

Add garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes.

Add chopped onions and stir around for 2-3 minutes.

Now add red chili pepper flakes and stir fry for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes from the cans.

Add the herbs, salt, pepper and chopped parsley.

Mix everything properly and lower the heat now. Cover and cook for 20 minutes and your sauce is ready now.

Cover the sauce with the cooked pasta. Mix it properly till the pasta is coated with the sauce.

Set it aside so we can grill the chicken and plate everything later.

Brush some oil on a grill pan placed over medium low heat.

Place the chicken on the grill pan.

Cook for 4-6 minutes each side. Grilled chicken is all cooked.

It's up to you how you want to plate your chicken. I sliced it according to the idea I had of my presentation of both the pasta and the chicken.

Put the pasta in a bowl, sprinkle some chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese on it.

Place a layer of the sliced grill chicken and you're all set to go.

Ladies and gentlemen say hello to Penne Arrabiata‏ w/ Grilled Honey Chicken.