Here Is Some “Shelf Love!”
It’s week #22 in my “52 In 22” cooking challenge, and after stacking a burger very high last week, I’m going to make something that has “shelf love!”
Here are the next ten cookbooks in my year long “52 In 22” cooking challenge:
I will be going around the world again over the next two+ months, plus back in time as well! But this week, I’m learning some valuable lessons on using what I already have on my shelves – thanks to the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen!
This week, I dipped into the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen cookbook called “Shelf Love” – a really cool concept from this London-based Chef!
My friend Betsy gave me this terrific cookbook – a unique title which I explain here:
So, in the spirit of the cookbook, I cleared my shelf of pasta, Rao’s Arrabiata sauce and tomato paste, along with onion, garlic and chicken from my refrigerator – and it was time to cook a one-pot chicken pasta dish!
Here are the ingredients for the dish:
6 chicken thighs
I large onion, diced as you see above
4 garlic cloves, diced as seen above
2 tbsp thyme leaves
3 tbsp tomato paste
dry spaghetti
parmesan cheese
bread crumbs
parsley
grated lemon zest
salt and pepper
Put the chicken in a hot pot with oil and let it brown nicely on one side for 7 minutes, then slide in the onion and garlic:
Turn the chicken over and mix it all together, sweating the onions and garlic until softened and slightly brown – about 5 minutes!
Add the tomato paste and thyme, stirring it all in for a minute…and also turn on your oven to 350 degrees.
Add 2/3rd of a cup of water and let it simmer for ten minutes, then add another cup of water…or in my case, I added a cup of the Rao’s sauce to give it an even richer flavor!
After ten more minutes…it’s time to add the pasta!
My pot was the perfect size for the pasta to lay flat…the recipe asks to push the past to the bottom and lay the chicken on top, then cover with a lid and put it in your oven for a half hour!
Mix together the parmesan, bread crumbs, parsley, lemon zest and thyme…and this will be your coating for the chicken later!
Add parsley finely chopped parsley and after 30 minutes, your pasta should have absorbed all of the liquid in the pot!
As you can see…the pasta was cooked, soft and swirling around the chicken pieces…so add your crust topping and stick it back in the oven,turning it to broil…about five minutes is all you will need…
After broiling, it comes out looking like this:
As you can see, it toasted nicely, but the downside to a “one pot” dish is that it looks messy – until you plate it, then it can be presented to your friends or family like this:
I was very happy with how this looked on the plate: when you scoop it out, the pasta forms a nice base for the chicken, but also mixes in nicely – a true “one pot and one scoop” dish!
As I said, our friend Betsy gave us the cookbook and got to taste the dish with us – cheers Betsy!
This was a fun and easy dish to make, but one I made was even more delicious:
I LOVED this “Pulled Pork Pasta In Almond Cream Sauce” from my “Cooking Under Fire” TV series cookbook – see how much fun it is to make by clicking on the recipe here:
Chef / Author Michael Ruhlman was one of the Judges on “Cooking Under Fire” and he has a slew of cookbooks himself!
His “Crispy Mollet Egg In Asparagus Sauce” was amazing, and you can see the entire recipe by clicking on my story here:
I have also had a great time making food from different cultures, like this traditional Italian Gravy:
Not only “gravy” but “Gangsters” too!
See this traditional Italian family recipe by clicking on my story here:
If you enjoy these posts, why not subscribe and never miss out? It’s easy, and there are NO ads of any kind, just stuff I like – from music to movies, books, travel, food and more…click on the main page and “follow” me on the upper right…
“Bite! Eat! Repeat!” is your site for all things food – from these step-by-step cooking directions for 52 dishes from around the world – to fun stuff like Caviar Tater Tots!
Here’s just one of the many fun stores you can find there:
If you like what you see, please click on my link and follow this blog as well!
Let me know what you think of my “52 In 22” challenge!
If you like the story, share it with friends on social media! Thanks!
Categories: 52 In 22!, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Chef memoirs, Cookbooks, Eat This!, Food, Food Pictures, Food Porn, Recipes, Restaurants, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
Another great recipe! Looks delicious!
Well done, John. Some great food! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
Pete, I you cook with dry pasta…cooking it in a specific amount of chicken stock and sauce will give you an amazing flavor to the pasta and no water to toss out!
This really does look amazing, John.
It’s fun and easy Robbie…and the best way to make spaghetti is to cook it IN chicken stock and sauce…when done cooking it absorbs the liquid and makes the pasta incredibly flavorful!
A very good idea and one I will definitely try.