Favorite Meal Essay
When I think about my favorite meal, it is hard to pinpoint one meal that stands out among the others. My dad is a chef, so I have had the privilege of eating more great meals than I can count. Eating food for me is not just about literally eating the food and enjoying it, but also the interactions that go with eating. I am Italian, so I am a big pasta eater. I am one of four kids in my family, and everyone in my house also loves a good pasta meal. For a family of six people, it is easy for my dad to whip together a big pot of pasta and some garlic bread and be able to satisfy everyone, and most of the time there is not a drop left in the bottom of the pot once everyone has finished eating. Every time I go out to eat, I always find myself ordering some kind of pasta. I try to look over the menu to find something new, but I always find myself looking in the pasta section of the menu. Whenever I am home for the weekend, my mom will often ask what I want to eat for dinner. Nine times out of ten, I will ask for some sort of pasta dish. As a child I have always loved pasta, and nothing has seemed to change. I believe that the one meal that brings back old memories, and brings my family together the most is chicken broccoli ziti.
Like I said, my dad is a chef, so I have always loved watching him cook. He used to work for many different restaurants, including the Hard Rock Cafe. He learned how to make chicken broccoli ziti in a restaurant he used to work at. It was the first Italian dish that my dad learned how to make, and he makes it the same exact way still today. Working for Pauli Golini, who was the chef at the restaurant he worked at, introduced him to family style cooking. As my dad says, “The Golini family ate a lot of pasta and family style foods, and being around them I got into that. Working there was like a family and eating hearty family style meals together was part of the restaurant culture.” Working at an Italian restaurant really opened my dad up to learning how to cook big family style meals, considering my family is big. I think this background has a lot to do with the way we were all raised as kids, and that was always eating dinner together as a family and spending family time together. This dish is the dish that started it all, and I am really grateful for all the family time I have spent eating this dish together. As kids we all used to help my dad cook meals, so that was also a special moment we all shared, and one of my favorite things to do.
When making chicken broccoli ziti, my dad starts by putting a big pot on the stove, and boiling the water. While the water is boiling, he starts to prep the chicken and the broccoli. He will cut the chicken into cubes, and once the chicken is all cut he will toss it all in flour, salt, and pepper. My dad pan fries the chicken, so at this point he would put olive oil in a pan and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Once the chicken is browned and cooked, he will add white wine, chicken stock, and garlic that is cut up into really tiny pieces to the same pan. He lets this pan boil and then lets it reduce, and this is the sauce for the dish. Then he cuts up the broccoli into florets. When the pasta is almost done being cooked, he throws the florets into the pot to cook them. Once the pasta is done cooking, he drains the pasta and broccoli and adds it into the pan with the sauce and chicken in it. As a final touch the dish, he will add parmesan cheese and stir it all together. At this point in the process my entire house will smell so good that we do not have to be called to the dinner table, and we are all ready to eat!
When I think about this dish, I can remember the smell of it so vividly. It is honestly one of my favorite things about this dish. I remember being upstairs in my house, and being able to start to smell the garlicky goodness from downstairs. Everyone in my family has a busy schedule and packed agendas, so most of the time everyone is not home at once. However, if we all know that dad is going to make his famous chicken broccoli ziti, we all make sure we are home for dinner that night. Not only does it bring my family together, but it also brings all of our friends to the house to eat it too. My mom loves when we are all home for dinner and she loves to have a “full nest” as she calls it. My dad always says, “this [dish] was a favorite of the kids.” This dish in particular never fails to bring us all together on a Saturday night, and never fails to leave everyone satisfied for the night. Personally, I love eating as a family because it is rare now that we get to eat all together now. My favorite part of my day used to be sitting down to eat with my sisters and brother and mom and dad and just talking about everything we all did that day.
There is the obvious reason why I love chicken broccoli ziti, and that is the fact that it is pasta, and also the amazing taste of it. However, I also love eating it because it brings the best conversations to the dinner table, and almost always results in a lot of laughter and fun. I believe family time and family memories are so important, and I think it is something that many people take for granted. Now that I am away at college I can really value the time that I spend with my family. Chicken broccoli ziti brings my family and friends together, which is why I love to eat it. I think it is so important to be able to step away from responsibilities and work for a little while, and eating chicken broccoli ziti does that for me. It allows me to enjoy the meal and also socialize with people that are important to me. Now more than ever, I can now see and value the time that I get with my family, because we will not be able to do this forever. Chicken broccoli ziti is not only just a great meal for me, but it is the epicenter of the great memories I have as a child and growing up, and the center of quality family time spent.
Ingredients
1 or 1. Lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 lb pasta (fresh ziti is best or good box pasta)
Broccoli, 2 heads if crowns or 1 bunch, cut into florets
4 cloves garlic, minced
Flour for dredging
Salt and pepper
White wine
Chicken stock
Olive oil for frying, about 1/3 cup
Parmesan cheese, 2/3 cup grated
Preparation
Place pot of salted water on stove and bring to a boil.
Season the flour with salt and pepper
Place chicken cubes in flour to dust completely
Fry chicken in the pan with olive oil until browned on all sides.
Throw in the garlic and cook for 1 minute
Add 2/3 cup white wine to deglaze the pan.
Add 2 cups chicken stock
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and let reduce
Cook pasta in boiling salted water (4 min if fresh pasta or according to package if dry)
When pasta has a few minutes left to cook, add the broccoli florets to the water (or you can steam the broccoli)
Drain pasta (and broccoli) and add both to the pan with chicken and sauce.
Add 2/3 cup parmesan cheese and stir to mix.
Enjoy!
