Wine & Cheesey Garlicky Ziti

I have seen this recipe many times, and it's been on my must-try list for a while. I love garlic, chicken and broccoli, throw in pasta and great cheese, and it's a winner in my book. I reheated leftovers for a couple of lunches, and I just added a little extra virgin olive oil and chicken broth so it wouldn't dry up. I made some changes, and the original recipe is linked below.



Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli in a White Wine Cheddar Sauce
adapted from Good Things Catered

Ingredients:
3/4 lb ziti
3 Tbsp butter
about 1/2 cup roasted garlic paste (made by roasting garlic in oven and squeezing garlic out of skin) see below
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 c. dry white wine
2 c. low-sodium chicken stock
1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets (about 2 c.)
1.25-1.5 lbs chicken tenders or breasts, grilled and cut in smaller pieces
3 oz. aged Vermont white reserve cheddar, grated (about 1 1/2 c.)
freshly shredded Parmesan cheese to taste
salt and ground pepper

Directions:
-Bring 4 qt. of water to a boil in large pot and cook ziti according to box directions to only al dente and set aside.

-At the same time, lightly steam broccoli florets on top of pan in steamer and set aside.

-Meanwhile, melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

-When just coming to foaming, add garlic paste and cook until fragrant (about 1 min)

-Add flour and cook until beginning to turn golden (about 2 min.)

-Add broth and cook until evaporated (about 1 min).

-Stir broth into pan and simmer sauce until slightly thickened (about 2 min).

-Add cheddar and stir constantly while returning to a boil.

-Fold in ziti cook for one minute additional and remove from heat.

-Add broccoli and chicken and fold until sauce covers uniformly.

-Plate and top with some shredded Parmesan and serve.

Roasted Garlic Paste

4 large garlic bulbs, left whole and unpeeled
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground back pepper

Preheat the oven to 375. Slice of 1/4 inch off the top of each bulb. Place bulbs in a small baking dish, or in muffin trays. Drizzle with a little EVOO, salt and pepper and cover with foil. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until garlic is golden brown and soft.

Remove from oven and let cool. Squeeze each clove out of its paper and add to a bowl, and mash together to form a paste. Set aside until ready to use in the above dish.

I also love to make roasted garlic paste and add to butter, mashed potatoes, sour cream, a spread for bread, pizza, chicken, pasta etc, etc. As you can tell, I LOVE garlic, and after it's roasted, it becomes much more mellow. You can keep roasted garlic in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week.