Really, it’s yummy.
INGREDIENTS (serves two):
- 1 small tub (200ml) of crème fraîche, reduced fat if you must.
- 2 chicken breasts, roughly cubed. For goodness sake, get decent chicken, not cheap water-filled, factory-farmed rubbish.
- 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced
- a little butter
- a little olive oil
- a good handful of tarragon, roughly chopped or torn, stems removed. You’ve got this growing outside the door, right?
- tagliatelli sufficient for two. Fresh stuff.
- black pepper
- a bottle of good red wine, maybe two
METHOD:
- open the wine. Have a glass for yourself and one for your dining partner.
- boil some water for doing the tag.
- in a large pan or, better still, a wok, melt a good dollop of butter over a medium to high heat.
- fry the leek until just beginning to soften. Remove from the pan and reserve.
- refill your glasses.
- add a little olive oil to the pan and get it hot.
- throw in the chicken and scoot around the pan until lightly browned.
- get the tag going (I assume you have decent fresh pasta, none of the dried stuff – if you have dried pasta, you should have started this a while ago).
- add the entire pot of crème fraîche to the chicken. Stir.
- return the leeks to the pan. Stir some more.
- mill in some black pepper (nice if you have one of those crusher-type mills, rather than a grinding-type). Stir it.
- throw in the tarragon. Yes, you guessed – stir.
- stir it all up some more.
- drain the pasta and get it on the plate.
- pour the chicken/tarragon/leek/crème fraîche mix over the top.
- blimey, those glasses look low. Top ’em up.
- Eat. Drink. Relax. Candles. Good music. You know the deal.
Takes but ten minutes. Ideal for Friday night. We had it after a starter of fresh local asparagus with shaved parmesan, butter and apple balsamic vinegar. With gin. And tonic.
I might have a crack at that one day, I love tarragon, and in the meantime I’ll practice the red wine part as often as possible.
And that day has come! I shall be preparing Graybo’s Yummy Tarragon Chicken this very evening. Prepare for brickbats or bouquets tomorrow!