* Pollo e Funghi Tagliatelle

"Pollo e Funghi" sounds so much more schmexy than "Chicken and Mushroom", doesn't it? You know that you're going to be eating something Italian or pasta driven, when you read it. Where as "Chicken and Mushroom" could end up being just about anything, except dessert.

Pollo e Funghi was on the menu at the Pasta Bar on Plymouth Barbican, when I was there a couple of weeks back with my BFF, and it was so nice that I thought I'd have a shot at recreating it at home for Neil and I.

The ingredients were included in the menu's description of the dish, so it was simple enough to do and surprisingly fast. Even for me.

The end result looked like I'd made a lot more effort than I actually had, and Neil absolutely loved it. It was given the ultimate accolade of a "That was lovely, darlin' " with NO prompting. Actually, he's been walking on tip toes during meal times since Chicken Tikka Gate, so virtually everything is "Lovely darlin' ", with brass knobs on.

Which is fun.

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Serves 2

Prep time - 10 minutes

Cooking time -15 - 20 minutes

You will need

A medium frying pan/skillet

A pot to cook your pasta in

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove - crushed

1/2 onion - sliced

150g chicken breast - thinly sliced

100g chestnut mushrooms - sliced

250ml crème fraîche

3 heaped tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

2 heaped tbsp sun dried tomato paste

salt

freshly ground black pepper

100g (4 nests) dried tagliatelle

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Method

Start by putting the pasta in to cook - following the packet instructions.

In the frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and gently fry the onion, chicken and garlic until no pink is showing on the chicken - about 4 minutes. Throw in the mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes until they show signs of softening.

Add the crème fraîche and gently simmer for a minute or two to heat through, then add 2 tbsp of the Parmesan (keeping one in reserve for garnish) and sun dried tomato paste. Give it all a good stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Drain the cooked pasta, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and add to the frying pan. Coat the tagliatelle with the sauce, and use the reserved pasta water, a splash at a time, to slacken the the sauce slightly, if you think it needs it.

Scatter over the fresh, chopped parsley and remaining tbsp of Parmesan.

EAT!