Tonight’s recipe ESTHER CLARK photograph TOM REGESTER
special
Fajita-style pasta
Take the aromatic flavours of a classic Mexican fajita and combine with pasta for this fantastically easy and vibrant meal. It’s made with succulent pieces of chicken breast and sweet peppers. Any leftovers keep well for the next day and can be eaten cold. SERVES 4-6 PREP 10 mins COOK 25 mins EASY
2 tbsp olive oil 2 large skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips 1 onion, thinly sliced
Shoot director SARAH SNELLING | Food stylist KATIE MARSHALL | Stylist LUIS PERAL
weekend
Ideal for Friday night, this punchy pasta dish takes just 35 minutes to make
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced 1 garlic clove, crushed ¼ tsp chilli powder 1 heaped tsp sweet smoked paprika ½ tsp dried oregano 1 tsp ground coriander ½ tsp ground cumin 3 tbsp tomato purée 80ml double cream 350g penne or rigatoni pasta ½ small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped grated parmesan or cheddar, to serve
1 Heat the oil in a large shallow casserole or frying pan. Add the chicken and fry for 5 mins over a medium heat until golden all over. Remove and set aside on a plate. 2 Put the onion and peppers in the same pan and fry over a medium heat for 8-10 mins. Add the garlic, dried herbs and spices, and cook for 1 min. Add the tomato purée and cook for 2 mins. Return the chicken to the pan and pour in the cream, stirring to combine. Season to taste. 3 Cook the pasta following pack instructions, then drain and reserve 150ml of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the pan with 50ml of the water and stir everything together over the heat. Add a little more water to loosen if needed. Season to taste and stir through the parsley. Divide between six bowls and top with a little cheese and extra chopped parsley, if you like. This can be packed into a lunchbox and eaten cold, too. GOOD TO KNOW low cal • fibre • vit c • 1 of 5-a-day PER SERVING (6) 410 kcals • fat 13g • saturates 5g • carbs 47g • sugars 6g • fibre 6g • protein 24g • salt 1g •
September 2021 BBC Good Food Middle East 61
