Rigatoni “D”

Yesterday was T’s birthday, and because she and Mr. T are kind enough to let me shack up at their house for a few weeks, and because she is my best friend, I wanted to do something nice for her on her birthday. So, I decided to offer to make her dinner – anything she wanted. In traditional girl fashion, she couldn’t think of anything, so Mr. T helped me out by telling me one of her favorite dishes from the Italian restaurant, Maggiano’s. Rigatoni “D”. Ok, looks simple enough on their website, so I went in search of a recipe replica, and was fortunate enough to come across a couple that had good reviews.

I popped some cupcakes in the oven and wrote out a quick grocery list. About this time, T came to me and asked what her options for dinner were. I told her anything she wanted, but that Mr. T and I had already decided for her 🙂 In my opinion it is a creamy version of Chicken Marsala – which is great!! Both T and Mr. T said that it tasted just like Maggiano’s, so score!! Happy Birthday T, love you!!

Rigatoni “D” (A Maggiano’s replica)
Found on Food.com

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 10 ounces baby portobella mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 quart chicken stock
• 4 ounces marsala wine
• 2 ounces white wine
• 1/2 quart heavy cream
• 1 lb rigatoni pasta
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 ounces garlic butter
• grated parmesan and parsley for garnish

Preparation

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a skillet.
2. Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes. Lower heat and cook an additional 2 minutes until caramelized.
3. In a separate, larger skillet, saute mushrooms with balsamic vinegar, over medium-high heat.
4. Add onions to the mushrooms and  season with salt and pepper.
5. Add garlic, chicken, chicken stock, marsala, and white wine. Cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
6. Add cream and bring to a boil.
7. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer to skim away any impurities.
8. Meanwhile, cook rigatoni al dente, according to package instructions.
9. Add drained rigatoni to chicken mixture in pan and finish with basil-parsley mix, parmesan cheese, garlic butter, and salt and pepper.
10. Place in pasta bowl and garnish with parmesan shavings and chopped parsley.