What Was I Thinking?

If you were to go to your cupboard right now, how many culinary items have you bought that you look at now and ask, "What was I thinking?" They looked really interesting, unique and fun when you bought them, but there they sit… unloved.


I have my share of them. None of them is unusable, or that unusual, but I have to admit they have not become usual, and remain unused.

I made a vow to begin using them, one by one, until there is room in the cupboard for me to add... more unusual items! What are they? They include:

Dried Persian limes. I know I can find a use for them! (Ahu? Colette? Can you help me out?)

Pergamonto. It's Greek. We bought it at a Greek festival. We have no idea of whether to eat it on toast, use it to ease sunburn, or clean the floor with it. (Magda? Any thoughts?)

Ararat. This came from a Middle Eastern grocery and was definitely homemade. We know it isn't a mountain. We think it is a preserve. I have Googled it: It might be cherries. It might be walnuts.

Mugolio. It is an Italian pine syrup. I know it isn't for waxing my floors, because I bought it from ChefShop.com. They don't carry cleaning products... at least, not to my knowledge. Do I drizzle it on cheese? Put it in a cocktail? Is it for desserts? All of the above?

Mortgage Lifters. These beans seem to be a Southwest variety and I am afraid of them. They are really big, and I am not sure our house is large enough to cook them. And now they are really old - maybe 6 years now. Should I just use them as pie weights?

Farfalline. These are pasta's answer to micro greens. These are micro pasta. They were so cute, I couldn't resist. Tiny little butterflies with pinked edges... I bought them about 5 years ago. Do I make a micro sauce? If so, what would that be? They are just too tiny to use.

For all these, I ask, "What was I thinking?"

The first to depart the safety of my overstocked cupboard is the farfalline. Every pasta shape has its purpose, its own special sauce. Wikipedia tells me this one is for soups, generally, but I figured that there must be more I can do with it! And, when I was thinking this, I was hungry.

I had just thawed a chicken breast to grill for dinner. Okay, farfalline and a chicken breast. Then what? It was hotter than Haydes here - 112°F (That's 44.444° to you Celsians!) HOT! And then it hit me - a pasta and chicken salad. Cool for a hot summer's day, and something I could make ahead, then go for a swim, and return to a chilled supper. Perfect.

So, I looked at what I had on hand and threw it all together (more or less) and came up with this: chicken-chipotle pasta salad. No complaints here!

Stay cool, clean out your cupboards, and eat well!

~ David

Chicken-Chipotle Pasta Salad

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half
1 cup farfalline pasta, or other small pasta shape
kosher salt
1 cup frozen peas
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1-2 teaspoons puréed chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, to taste
freshly ground pepper
romaine or butter lettuce, for serving

Place the chicken breast in a small pot and cover with 4 cups water. Add a teaspoon or so of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to very low and simmer for 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit in its broth for 10 minutes. Remove from the broth and place on a cutting board. (Do not toss the broth!) When cool, dice the chicken and set aside.

Bring the broth back to a boil and add the farfalline. Cook for three minutes and then add the peas and carrots to the pasta. Return to a boil and cook for 3 more minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Once cool, toss onto a mixing bowl.

To the pasta and vegetables, add the chicken, oregano, mayonnaise and chipotle chile. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and refrigerate until cold.

Serve on a bed of shredded lettuce.

Serves 4 for a light supper. 

 

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