Gemelle with Oil and Garlic

For Christmas, Danny and I recently received "The Silver Palate Cook Book" by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins with Michael McLaughlin. Many of these recipes look fantastic! I came across "Spaghetti Aglio Et Olio" or Spaghetti with Oil and Garlic. I figured I would try it but it looked boring. I'm sure the dish is really good but it's just a pound of spaghetti dressed in chicken broth, garlic and parsley. Aside from that, I didn't want a dish that was comprised of just carbs. I added chicken, tomato and some other stuff to spice it up. Maybe I can call this one "Gemelle Aglio Et Olio"? Lol.

Ingredients

12 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
4 quarts chicken stock or canned chicken broth
2 chicken breast fillets
18 oz Gemelle pasta
4 red tomatoes, diced
1 tbs parsley
1 tbs oregano
1 tbs basil
1 tbs ground black pepper
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 - 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Slice 6 cloves of garlic and mince or garlic press the other six. Place the sliced garlic in a small skillet and garnish with black pepper. Keep it at bay for later use. I realized that I didn't use as much olive oil as you can see in this picture and next time I think I will use the 1/4 cup as suggested in the ingredients list.

Bring 4 quarts of chicken stock or canned chicken broth to a boil. Skim off the foam as it boils the chicken. The chicken can be whole or finely diced, whatever your preference is. I prefer whole so my slices are more fine later. Allow the chicken to boil for 15 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

While chicken is cooking, start on your herbs, cheese and tomatoes. Set aside.

After the chicken is done, finely chop if not done so already.

Do not drain your chicken broth. Instead, add the gemelle and cook until tender but still firm; do not overcook. Drain most of the broth, leaving about 4 cups and returning the pasta to the pot.

 

Add the chicken, tomatoes, minced garlic, herbs and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese to your noodle broth mixture.

Add your desired amount of crushed red pepper flakes. Not everyone likes super spicy! I found that a 1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp gave it a nice kick that wasn't over doing it.

Stir and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil and sliced garlic you previously made over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Stir in heated olive oil and sliced garlic and toss thoroughly.

Divide your pasta evenly and serve immediately garnished with freshly ground black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

I kept insisting to Danny that we make a creme sauce to dress the dish but he assured me that it would taste good. In the end, the olive oil and chicken broth coated the noodles perfectly almost like their own sauce. I loved it!