Pasta Milano

This is a copycat recipe of Macaroni Grill's Pasta Milano. It has a creamy garlic sauce and lots of Parmesan cheese. The sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms add an interesting flavor that we loved. It takes a little extra time to prepare this dish, but it is well worth the effort. I've changed the quantities a little bit because it made a huge amount and I felt some of the amounts were a little bit off. This served 5 with leftovers.

Here is the whole list of ingredients, I will break it down as we go along:

1 whole garlic bulb
2 - 3 chicken breasts
2 c. heavy cream
1/4 t. black pepper
1 1/2 T. coarsely chopped fresh parsley (I left this out)
1 t. salt
1/2 c. Parmesan, shredded
12 oz. of bowtie pasta
3 T. butter
1/2 c. chopped, sun-dried tomatoes
6 oz. sliced mushrooms
3 T. grated Parmesan
olive oil

• First we need to roast a whole garlic bulb:

1. Chop off about 1/4 inch of the top of the bulb.
   
2. Line a custard cup with a large piece of foil. A muffin tin will also work.
   
3. Place the garlic bulb in the foil. Drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil over the top. Wrap the foil over the bulb.
   
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.
5. Remove from oven. Let the garlic cool and then remove the individual cloves and mash them with a fork.

• Second, we need to make the garlic cream sauce:

2 c. heavy cream
1/2 of the mashed, roasted garlic about 1 T. (save the rest for another dish)
1/4 t. black pepper
1 1/2 T. coarsely chopped fresh parsley (I left this out)
1 t. salt
1/2 c. Parmesan, shredded

Using a blender, (I used my Braun hand blender) process the cream and the roasted garlic until smooth. In a large saucepan, combine the garlic cream and the parsley. Bring to a boil and then simmer, while stirring, for about 15 minutes until thickened. When it is thick, add the salt and Parmesan.

• Third, we are going to cook the pasta:

Boil water and add 12 oz. of bowtie pasta. When it is al dente, drain, then drizzle with olive oil and cover.

• Fourth, while the pasta is boiling, we will saute the vegetables:
  

3 T. butter
1/2 c. chopped, sun-dried tomatoes
6 oz. sliced mushrooms
3 T. grated Parmesan

Saute the butter, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes for about 1 minute. Add this to the garlic cream sauce. Then add the sauce to the pasta. Just before serving sprinkle with the 3 T. Parmesan cheese

Last we will cook the chicken. The reason this is last is so that it doesn't dry out or cool off while you are doing the other more involved things.

Pound chicken breasts. Sprinkle with your favorite seasoning, I used Montreal Chicken seasoning, then grill or broil. It's a little cold here right now, and since I tossed the cheap grill in the trash last summer...I broiled about 5 minutes on each side. Cook until juices run clear. Slice and arrange on top individual servings of pasta. If you want to get really cute, add a sprig of parsley ;)

Tomorrow I'll post the recipe for the Spinach and Raspberry salad I served with this dish.