Farfalle with Broccoli

You may ask, "what the heck is farfalle?". It sounds pretty exotic, but it's really just bow tie pasta. :) I made this recipe last night for dinner for the first time and it was really good. It called for anchovies and red pepper flakes, which I didn't do, and I put in some fresh basil and tomato.
I got the recipe off of foodnetwork.com. I wanted to make something with the broccoli we were getting from our garden and found this.
So here's the recipe:

1 lb farfalle pasta
2 heads broccoli, trimmed florets
1/4 c olive oil
4 T butter
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
1/4 c tomato, diced
1 T basil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook 5 min. Add broccoli and cook 4 min. Drain pasta and broccoli, reserving 1 cup of water.

Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 5 min. Add broccoli, pasta, salt & pepper, tomato, and basil, and toss. Add some of reserved pasta water, if necessary to make light sauce. Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

And wall-ah!

Bistro Chicken Recipe

I sort of combined two recipes to make this, and I sort of made up my own version. The first recipe is for the French bread, and I only used the first half of the original recipe:

Ingredients:
6 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 Tbs active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 c warm water

1. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Chicken Filling:

1 c chopped chicken
1/2 c dived red bell pepper
1/4 c snipped fresh basil leaves (or heaping Tbs dry basil)
1/2 c shredded mozerella cheese
1/4 c mayonnaise
1 garlic clove (I used 2)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tsp Italian seasoning

1. Reheat oven 375 degrees F. Add chicken, pepper, basil, Parmesan, mozerella, mayonnaise, and garlic, mix well.
2. Divide dough in half and roll out in the shape of a rectangle. Roll out to 4 inches wide and a foot long with a hollow in the middle.
3. Spoon half of the chicken mixture down center of each loaf. Gather up edges over filling, pinching firmly to seal. Place loaves, seam sides down, in an "X" pattern on rectangle stone. Crisscross ends of dough to form a large figure "8," keeping ends of dough 1 inch from edge of stone and leaving two 1 1/2-inch opening in center of twist.
4. Combine egg white and seasoning mix; lightly brush over dough. Cut a 3-inch slit in each of the top ections of the twist to reveal filling. Sprinkle remaining 2 Tbs Parmesan cheese over loaf. Bake 30-32 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings