Recipe: Succulent Chicken Breast Rigatoni (aka Teriyaki Mac n Cheese)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

This recipe is really nothing more that a bit of chopping and mixing, simple and tasty. The key is succulent chicken and pasta a touch softer than al dente. You don’t want it to come out as if it came form a tin can, but make it too al dente and it all becomes to much effort to eat!!

Who likes sucking on a cross between a rubber bullet and a piece of chalk? Meh . . .  not so much! Who likes raw chicken? Nobody! 

So, the key to succulent chicken, is not to over cook it! 

Teriyaki Mac and Cheese is fast and simple comfort food, some soft cheese and some cured Mediterranean sausage and you’re ready for bliss!

ingredients (serves 2)

2 chicken breasts (cut into chicken tenders, and left to marinate)

400g rigatoni pasta (dry weight)

for the marinade

1 tbsp teriyaki sauce

1 tbsp medium peri peri sauce

1 tbsp chilli sauce

for the sauce

2 onions (diced and cooked translucent)

50ml EVO

50g italian salami (diced)

50g chorizo (diced)

200g soft cheese

2tbsp garlic onion reduction

for the spring onion vinaigrette (enough for 8)

250ml EVO

200ml cider vingar

1 tbsp sugar

4 spring onions (chopped into thin rings)

This dish is, as with most cooking (specially with pasta), all about timing! Definitely don’t want hard chewy chicken and soggy pasta. It’s about a smooth sauce with a little kick, succulent and tasty chicken, with morsels of Mediterranean cured meats, all mixed with a pasta that holds a little shape and plenty of sauce . . . . now we’re talking!!

Before starting put a kettle of water on to boil.

chicken

Pull the centre piece out of the breast, the kind of mini breast (the bit you make chicken tenders with), and cut the remaining breast into 3 slices the same size, put it all into a food bag or a take away box with the marinade, 30mins is fine, while you put the kids down or a have a glass of wine. Thinking about it the kids will love this recipe! When you feel the chicken is ready put the olive oil into a medium hot frying pan, and using tongs shake off the excess marinade and put it into the pan. Keep the excess marinade. Turn the chicken once to colour each side. The chicken pieces should be golden when you turn them and should be cooked on the outside. Put them on a plate to one side.

rigatoni

Add 2L of boiling water to a pot, add 1tbsp salt and bring the water to the boil. Add the pasta and boil for 9-10min, the pack I had said 12-14mins but if you put it in that long it would come out as mush at the end. Secondly it’ll be inedible if you keep it for lunch tomorrow. Whereas if it’s al dente, it will be fine for tomorrows lunch!! : )

sauce

Using the pan from the chicken, fry off the onions until translucent.

Then add the diced cured meat, and let it render a little fat into the pan. 

Add 2 tbsp of garlic onion reduction (alternatively 1/2 a crumbled chicken stock and a little garlic salt, and 200ml water). Then add the soft cheese and stir in until all the lumps have gone. Add a little water if it’s too thick. It should be the same consistency as cream. Turn the heat down until it’s bubbling lightly, then cut chicken tenders into 1/3’s with a pair of scissors add them to the sauce.

Leave for about 5 mins then turn off the heat and wiat for the pasta.

to serve

Once the pasta is ready drain it and add it to the sauce. Mix well. Serve immediately.

If it’s come out a little under seasoned you can grate some parmesan on it but it shouldn’t need it.

A touch of parsley for that retro garnish look? It’s up to you!!

Personally I went with a rather sharp vinaigrette and spring onion to balance the cheese sauce and compliment the spiciness.

Technique / Recipe: How to cut a steak for a sandwich! (this cut will even chop up a tin can! Look!)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

(read in a cheesy, shopping channel presenter voice - you **will** buy this fantastic product!)
(Please note this is NOT an advertisement, there is nothing for sale here!!)

Steak sandwich. Nice bread, nice steak, a touch of butter, maybe a little mayo and some fresh ripe sliced tomatoes! Total and utter bliss! Specially on a summer's day in the garden with a cold beer, when you're hungry, having spent the day getting the party ready. Am I right?

Sit down, cold beer beside you, paper plate wobbling on your knee with some potato salad, tortilla chips, corn on the cob, maybe a piece of quiche and a little salad and a burnt sausage (rude not to). But what's on the plate is of no interest in comparison to the prize - the steak sandwich!! : )

Maybe if you're lucky you'll get that first bite out, chew away on that succulent meaty sandwich, you might even get that second bite of pleasure, little dribble of mayonnaise on your chin there, juices making the bread a little sticky? Of course they are what makes a really good steak sandwich.

But you know that sooner or later that steak sandwich is going to betray you: you'll take a bite and it wont come clean off, and you'll end up with a tomato sandwich in your hands, and a big chunk of beef dangling awkwardly from your chops! Quickly looking over your exposed steak eagle-eyeing the garden make sure nobody's witnessed the clumsiness, and a quick re-assembly job!!

Well, never again! With ferdie's tried and tested special sandwich steak cut, you'll be able to enjoy every bite of you sandwich with out fear!

It's a new, revolutionary method that works every time to give you guaranteed results, over and over again. Never again will you feel the embarrassment of pulling your steak out of your sandwich and almost dropping your quiche, never again will you have to suffer those knowing looks at your own BBQ, because with ferdie's special cut your steak will give it up to you every time go in for a bite!

Practise it in the comfort of your own home while no-one else is looking in the winter months, now half price!

We'll even throw in a duck cut, a meat readiness test - the thumb technique! and this proven meat hammering technique for free!

ingredients (make 2 sarnies)
2 tbsp mayo (mayo recipe)
2 ripe buffalo tomatoes (cut into slices)
4 slices of thick cut fresh loaf
2 2cm thick (at least) slices of your favourite cut of steak (ribeye for me!)
    (or could be 1 sirloin 1 ribeye or 1 rump 1 sirloin, etc, etc)

apparatus
1 sharp knife

method

Slice the bread ready for sandwiches, butter one side lightly, and put mayo on the other.

Lay the tomatoes onto the side with the mayo and place the other butter side slice awaiting steak!!

This is the circular part of a rib-eye steak, perfect for a BBQ / "burger"

Cut into the steak in parallel lines about 1cm apart cutting just over half way through the steak.

Slice the steak one way then flip it. And turn through 90 degrees, you can see where the cuts meet.

Turn the steak over, turning it through 90 degrees and do the same again, the cuts should be perpendicular to previous cuts.
 

I've flipped it over so you can see the cuts are only in one direction on each side! But are at 90 degrees to each other.

Be careful not to cut too far or it'll fall apart before it gets to the BBQ let alone your mouth!!

Season the steak, oil it and place on the BBQ or a hot, heavy based pan, turning once.
Place steak on the buttered slice of bread, let it melt the butter, then close the two sides together and serve!

Repeat for each sandwich : ) very happy days!

a couple of tips:
Note the steak will cook A LOT FASTER than an uncut steak which you can check using finger technique!
If you're using a pan, deglaze it with a touch of white wine and pour the juice over the steak before closing!
Because of the way the steak is sliced, it will take up a marinade a lot better. I like to leave mine over night covered in blended red pepper. The red pepper can be removed before cooking and fried with a little cream in the pan to make a great sauce!!
Use any marinade you like! Red pepper is my favourite! Simple, tasty!

Take a whole red pepper, rough dice and blend with 50ml of extra virgin olive oil

Dip steak into it.

Dip it in ALL the way!!

Leave it in the fridge for at least 2 hours to marinate. Then take it out and bring it to room temperature, and throw it on to a BBQ or a smoking heavy based pan! It will cook very quickly because of the cut, don't dwell!

If you're using a pan, deglaze it with a little white wine and add the remaining pepper marinade and a little cream to make a simple veloute! SAUCE!!

Serve with a little salad and devour, no problems!!!