Jul 27 2011
Kitchen Magic with Mozzarella di Bufala
A cousin of mine recently visited me with an added task – To cook something with Bufala Cheese. She brought along some ingredients for me to whip her up a lovely dish. I was in the mood for some brainstorming so I definitely accepted it against some apprehension. What lies inside the bag were: shallots, leftover roasted chicken, some capers, olives, penne and Buffala Mozzarella. This is where the fun starts. I am not used to having mozzarella with anything aside from pizza. I took the Mozzarella Di Bufala and then the ingredients somewhat talked to me.
This was hardly a challenge at all. I just go with the usual way I cook my pasta. I got some pans and some other items. I had this amazing chef aura emanating from me and my cousin was just sitting there and waiting.
The treats from the bag were these:
· small red peppers
· capers
· shallots
· black or green olives
· penne
And here are the directions of cooking.
· Boil penne on a pan.
· Prepare the vegetables. Chop shallots, mini red peppers or bell pepper. Everything has to be pre-washed before chopping.
· Get a hot pan and add some butter and sauté the vegetables.
· Olives and capers should be sliced evenly.
· Then while the pan is still hot add the chicken.
· Season with salt and pepper and stir.
· Prepare the Mozzarella di Bufala by slowly tearing little pieces.
· As soon as the chicken is cooked, pour some white wine, cream and marinara sauce to add some flavor.
· If sauce is a too thick for your liking add a little of chicken broth.
· Add the al dente pasta over the pan with vegetables.
· The mozzarella will finish the plate, add this over the pasta, crushed some fresh black peppers and even drizzle some extra virgin olive oil.
· Voila! A lovely dish made from scratch.
Well, I could say that my cousin was truly proud with what I made. Needless to say, she adored the dish. She declared this will be a newly made tradition. I never thought it would be that fun. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and light-bodied Pinot Noir wines go best with this delectable cheese. Also pairing this with bread and even sardines would be really good.
No one will ever know that this is from left over roasted chicken. I was rather cocky that I was able to whip up a dish like this. A good dish can always come up from scratch, just don’t let anyone know. You can also make a variation of my recipe. Order your fresh stock of cheese from your gourmet cheese shop.
