Creamy Sundried Tomato Pasta

Going back to my catering days in Delano this "Creamy Pasta" was by far the most requested dish.  It was a lot of fun bringing my Italian inspired creations to the local community.    I started out catering for just the golf tournaments at the Golf Course.  That led to the Lions Club weekly dinner meetings, and on occasion other civic groups. Word of mouth led to one of my biggest clients, Delano Regional Medical Hospital for various meetings and gatherings. Then I started to cater for local schools for teacher appreciation lunches and some of the school Christmas Parties. 

I kept our kitchen staff busy with luncheons and other outside catering jobs.   It was fun at the time but it was a lot of work.  I look back on those days with joy.  I loved it! The cooking, the people, all of it.

Sauce Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons oil from sun dried tomatoes packed in oil

1 clove garlic minced or pressed

1/4 cup sliced green onion

1 1/2 Tablespoons dried basil

1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped into slivers

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 3/4 cups chicken broth (may substitute wine for 3/4 of liquid)

1 cup heavy cream

10 oz linguine, fettuccine or thin spaghetti

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

In a saucepan over medium heat combine oil and garlic and saute for a few minutes until fragrant.  Add onions, basil, broth, tomatoes and cream.  Simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups.  

Meanwhile in a large pot cook past until just tender to the bite.  Drain pasta and add sauce, finish cooking pasta the last 1-2 minutes.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Shrimp or Grilled Chicken can be added to the pasta. 

For the shrimp:  Saute 1 pound large shrimp in garlic and oil until opaque about 6 minutes.  Drain and set aside while sauce and pasta are cooking, add shrimp to pasta at the end.

For Chicken:  Pound chicken breast flat, grill with salt and pepper.  Once rested, cut chicken strips into thin slices.  Top pasta with the chicken and serve.