Rosemary and goat cheese mac with roast chicken

Real cooks know how to simmer a liquid when a recipe requires that it reduce by half. Real cooks know that this does NOT mean that you should allow half to boil over out of the pot.

Real cooks have gas ranges, not cooktops. I am sorry if this offends anyone, but it’s simply a well-known fact in the cooking world.  No fair judging anyhow, as I have a cooktop in this new house.

Man, am I glad I am not a real cook.  While making the recipe below for a pot-luck, fate (or inattention) decided for me that I should take a few shortcuts. I suppose I was trying to do too many things at once, but I thought I just glanced away for one second… and a glorious waterfall of cream had cascaded down the sides of the pot and spread across my stove top. My rushed reaction to this mishap was positive, however, as the recipe called for me to reduce the cream by half…and reduce by half I had done! And I still showed up an hour late for the dinner that and I had signed up for the main dish. Good thing for loving/forgiving/hungry friends, eh?

Rosemary and goat cheese mac with roast chicken

1 tbs olive oil

1 pound dried rigatoni pasta

1 quart heavy cream

2 tbs fresh chopped rosemary

3 gloves fresh garlic, crushed and chopped

8 ounces goat cheese

2 cups roasted chicken shredded (from 1 store bought rotisserie)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the oil and the pasta and cook according to package directions, about 10-12 minutes.

2. While you are waiting for the water to boil, pour the cream into a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the rosemary and garlic to the cream and bring it to a simmer – be careful not to let it boil over! Allow the cream to reduce by about half (have a glass of wine and be patient).

3. Stir in the goat cheese and chicken and continue cooking till the cream is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.


4. Thoroughly drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the cream sauce. Coat the pasta in the sauce and simmer over low heat for a few minutes. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and serve hot!