Farfalle with Chicken and Chard

Buon giorno, una bella giornata.

It is a wonderful day here in Cape Town with the temperature at lunch-time reaching 29 C, so decided to have a light lunch outside on the patio next to the pool – now that is the “sweet life”. Made the pasta dish below, some chilled dry Rose wine, the birds were singing, the sun was out, had a swim before serving and the company was great.

I hope you enjoyed your White Bean Pasta e Fagioli which I posted last time, and here is the second of the promised two recipes, which is what I made today for lunch.

Don’t worry, I will be spending a lot more time writing about pasta, and posting many Italian recipes. Hope you enjoy this one.

Farfalle with Chicken and Chard

Ingredients

• half a kilo boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 orange (or red) bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 bunch Swiss chard (or spinach), ends removed and leaves torn
• 1 cup chicken broth (or stock)
• 250 gms (if a light lunch or starter) – 350 to 400 gms (if a main meal) of Farfalle (bow-tie shaped pasta)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preparation

1. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, onion, pepper and garlic. Cook and stir 5 minutes.
3. Fill large pot with lightly salted water and bring to boil.
4. Add chard to skillet and vegetables and stir, mixing thoroughly until wilted.
5. Add chicken broth and remaining salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is cooked through.
6. While broth is heating, cook farfalle. Drain and return to pot.
7. Add chicken mixture to hot farfalle; toss. Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with cheese and chopped parsley.

Serves 4-6

Buon Appetito

Cheers… and salute

Love Italy, love life.