Smoked Salmon Penne Pasta

This dish is so easy to make and is really good. I learned it from my favorite Italian, Matteo Milllone! ^__^

[Serves 4]

Ingredients:

- 3 cups of uncooked Penne Pasta

- 1/2 quart of heavy cooking cream

- 5 oz Smoked Salmon - make sure you get free-range raised fish. Farm-raised salmon doesn't taste as good, and it has less than half of the OMEGA 3's that are so healthy for your body!

- 1/2 white onion

- 1 tablespoon butter

- Crushed Black Pepper

- Salt

1. Boil water and add the pasta, and salt to taste. Cook exactly the amount it says on the box for al dente.

2. In a large sauce pan melt the butter and saute the chopped onion until translucent. Add the cut and sliced smoked salmon and a dash of crushed black pepper, and saute with the butter and onion for 1-2 minutes.

3. Pour the cooking cream into the sauce pan and stir with the butter, onion and smoked salmon. Let it simmer until it reaches a light boil (do not let it boil for too long or the sauce will become too thick)

4. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce pan, mix and stir the ingredients together (turn the heat down to one of the lowest settings)

5. Serve and enjoy! (and sprinkle some freshly grated black pepper on top)

Parmigiano-Reggiano Mushroom Chicken Pasta

(i got impatient cutting the chicken, hence the huge block of chicken on top :P)

I lived with Italians for a while and learned lots of good pasta sauces made from scratch. Here is an easy, tasty, hearty pasta dish that takes you back to Italy.

Ingredients:
- Half a bundle of fresh parsley
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (essential and key!)
- 1/2 pint of whole foods organic light cream
- Extra virgin olive oil
- mushrooms
- white chicken breast (I used 2 Perdue Perfect Portion Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts)
- 3/4 box of spaghetti noodles (Barilla) (Serves 4 people)

Recipe:
1. Boil water, add salt to taste, add pasta and cook for exactly however long it says to on the box for al dente.
2. Add the minced garlic and olive oil into a sauce pan on high heat. Put the cut chicken in the pan and cook until white, adding salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add cut mushrooms and saute them with the chicken
3. Lower the heat to medium and add the cream and let it simmer to a light boil.
4. After 3-4 minutes of letting the sauce thicken, add the grated parmigiano reggiano cheese and stir.
5. Add the chopped parsley, and cook for 30 more seconds.
6. Mix the pasta and the sauce. Add more grated parmigiano reggiano cheese on top and sprinkle with black pepper.

Buon appetito!