Go To Pasta

I'm sure that everyone who cooks has a "go-to" pasta dish. You know the one that pleases everyone and you hope that one day your children will remember fondly as mom's pasta dish. My "go-to" pasta dishes seem to change every couple of years. At one time, when I was a starving student, it was simple spaghetti sauce, then traditional macaroni and cheese and when I lived in California my favorite pasta dish to cook was one with heirloom tomatoes, garlic, torn basil and fresh Parmesan, with a drizzle of basalmic vinegar.

Our current favorite is one I got from Donna Hay's "Off the Shelf" and it can be used with lots of different types of pasta, and doesn't cost much to make. This recipe works well with left-over roast chicken or turkey, as all bits of the poultry can be used, not just breasts as the recipe states.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

• 400g spaghetti or linguine
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. salted capers, rinsed
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 2 small red chillies, seeded and chopped (I use dried chili flakes and season according to tastes)
• 3 cooked chicken breast fillets, shredded
• 1 tbsp. grated lemon zest
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped basil leaves (I use about 1-2 tbsp dried)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place the pasta in a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain. While the pasta is cooking, heat a deep frying pan over high heat. Add the oil, capers, garlic and chillies and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and lemon zest and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until the chicken is heated through. Add the pasta to the pan with the lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper and toss to combine, Place in serving bowls and top with Parmesan. Serves 4.