When I stated the other day, not to discard the pan drippings and onions from those chicken breasts–this is what I had in mind.  In addition to the chicken drippings, I had some leftover sauteed cremini mushrooms. 

This dish is testament to the fact that leftovers can create something entirely new and wonderful in its own right.  With the simple addition of prosciutto, frozen peas, and butter, these leftovers took on new life–and I’m not exaggerating.

In restaurants, mushrooms are often pre-sauteed before being added to other dishes.  The reason is that mushrooms take a little time to shed water and develop flavor (not much time–maybe about 10 minutes–but in a restaurant kitchen, seconds count).  By pre-sauteing them with aromatics and herbs, you are adding another layer of seasoning and complexity to whatever dish you add them to next.

In case you don’t have leftover cooked mushrooms, I’ll give you the recipe for the ones I made, then all you’ll need are some onion-laced drippings from a roast chicken (or from the roast chicken breasts featured in my post from the other day).

For this dish, I decided to use dried, imported egg fettucine,  because the beautiful yellow color of them reminded me of the those bright orange egg yolks in Italy.

Fresh pasta would be great here, as well.

Pasta with Sauteed Musrooms, Peas and Prosciutto

serves 4

1 lb. egg fettucine (dried or fresh)

1/2 c drippings, including onions, from roast chicken breasts

1 c sauteed mushrooms (see recipe below)

4 tbls butter

4 slices prosciutto, sliced crosswise into 1/2″ ribbons

1 c frozen peas

While the pasta is cooking, place prosciutto and butter in a broad skillet, large enough to hold the pasta.  Bring to medium-low heat and gently sweat for about 5 minutes.

Add in mushrooms and drippings and continue to simmer on low heat until pasta is cooked.

When pasta is a minute shy of done, pull it out and add to skillet, along with the cooking water that clings to it.  Drop peas into boiling pasta water for a couple of seconds, then drain and add them to the skillet as well.

Toss to combine, and serve with plenty of grated parmigiano.

Sauteed Mushrooms

1 lb cremini (baby portobello) mushrooms, wiped of any excess soil, sliced into 1/4″ slices

2 tbls butter

2 tbls olive oil

1 small shallot, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, split in half

1/2 c white wine

2 tbls fresh chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

In a broad skillet, place butter, oil, shallots and garlic.  Turn heat to high and saute for about a minute.  Add mushrooms and continue to saute  on high heat until they begin to turn golden.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add white wine and reduce for another 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for another 4 – 5 minutes, or until nicely browned and fairly dry.   Remove garlic cloves and discard.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve.