Improvisation

Anyone who has ever eaten a baked good from me knows that I love recipes. In fact, I don’t just love them. I live by them. The clear, simple instructions promise sweet, confectionary success. All I have to do is get from step 1 to step 2, and so on. Sometimes, though, I throw caution to the wind. Maybe I’m reminded of a favorite comfort food while watching the Food Network. Or maybe, like this week, I’m flipping through the August issue of Real Simple and see an article about feta cheese done different ways. Feta-stuffed tomatoes? Sounds tasty, but I don’t have the tomatoes, or the feta. Hm… Feta, fennel and olives? Hm, fennel and olives sounds tasty and I have both of those. And maybe some chicken breast. And some pasta. And maybe a dash of half-and-half. And a crumble of goat cheese. Suddenly, I’ve invented an entire meal around an ingredient I don’t even have, and that I no longer need! Behold…

Fettuccine with Fennel, Olives and Goat Cheese (serves 4)

8 oz. long pasta (fettuccine, linguine, etc)
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 T. butter
1 medium fennel head, sliced and greens removed (we got ours in our CSA share this week!)
1 lb chicken breast, cubed
10-12 cured Moroccan olives, or pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil water and cook pasta until al dente. Set aside.

2. Heat olive oil and butter in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel, lowering heat after 4 minutes. Allow to wilt 5-7 minutes.

3. Add chicken to saute pan and raise heat to medium-high. Add salt and pepper and cover, 5-7 minutes, or until just barely cooked through.

4. Remove cover from pan and add half-and-half, stirring to mix.

5. Add pasta and olives to saute pan, mixing everything together.

6. Separate into four large bowls, crumble goat cheese and grate black pepper over each bowl and serve.

Where do you get your recipe inspiration?