It is commonly said that covetousness is one of the reigning sins of old age. How strange that it should be so! Especially considering what they have seen, and known, and it may be, felt of the emptiness and uncertainty of riches. They have witnessed how often they make themselves wings. What! And not yet convinced! What! Almost at the end of thy journey, and yet loading thyself with thick clay! Think of the time of day. It is almost night; even sun-set. And art thou unmindful of the grave? The body is bending downwards, let the heart be upwards.

Philip Henry

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Meats, Dairy	French	Poultry, Pasta, Greens, Lowfat	6	Servings

INGREDIENTS

1	lb	Skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 1/2	c	Water; approximate
2	lg	Garlic cloves; minced
1		Bay leaf
1/3	c	All-purpose flour
2	tb	Cornstarch
2	c	1% low-fat milk
1	tb	Fresh tarragon OR 1-tsp dried tarragon
1	ts	Salt; or less
1/8	ts	Ground nutmeg; or to taste
1/4	c	Dry white wine
10	oz	Frozen spinach; thawed and squeezed dry
8	oz	Spinach pasta; fresh
8	oz	Mushrooms; sliced
1 1/2	ts	Olive oil OR olive oil spray
3/4	c	Fresh breadcrumbs; coarsely ground from French bread
1/4	c	Parmesan cheese; freshly grated

INSTRUCTIONS

WHITE SAUCE
ADD
TOPPING
COOK CHICKEN: Combine chicken, 1 cup water, garlic and bay leaf in large
saucepan. Cover and simmer just until chicken is cooked through, turning
once, about 15 min. Transfer chicken to plate; cool. Shred chicken. Pour
cooking liquid into measuring ing cup, adding more water to measure 1 cup
if necessary. Reserve cooking liquid.
WHITE SAUCE: Whisk flour and cornstarch in heavy large saucepan. Add 1 cup
milk; whisk until smooth. Stir in 1 cup milk, tarragon, salt, nutmeg and
reserved 1 cup chicken cooking liquid. Stir over medium heat until mixture
thickens and boils, about 5 minutes. Add wine; stir until mixture is very
thick about 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir in shredded chicken
and spinach.
(Can be made 1 day ahead to this point. Cover and chill. Rewarm over
medium-low heat, stirring frequently before continuing.)
Preheat oven to 400F. Spray an 11x7x2 inch glass baking dish.
PASTA: Cook fettuccine it large pot of boiling salted water unto just
tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Return to pot. Add mushrooms and
chicken mixture ture; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to
prepared baking dish.
CRUMB TOPPING: Heat oil in small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add breadcrumbs; stir 1 minute. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake until
casserole bubbles and breadcrumb are golden, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10
minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan.
PER SERVING: calories, 335; total fat, 6 g or 16%cff; saturated fat, 2g;
cholesterol, 82 mg.
PAT'S VARIATION: Low-fat milk is the base for the cream sauce; the dish
resembles fettucine alfredo. We had leftover chicken from another meal that
totaled about 2 ounces per serving. White sauce would not thicken without
some oil so 1 teaspoon whipped butter was added to the liquids. We used a
combination of flour ("Dry" roux) and cornstarch and a pinch of salt.
Chardonay, fresh tarragon and a more generous helping of nutmeg completed
the sauce. We used a combination of short curly "egg" noodles and linguini.
The assembly was as stated above with one exception. Instead of spinach, we
used 2 collard leaves per serving: trimmed, stripped and julienned; sauted
briefly (to a bright green) in nonstick pan sprayed with butter flavored
corn oil. The crumbs, too were sauted in spray instead of oil. Baked at
400F for about 22 minutes. Served with freshly grated Parmesan. One-quarter
acorn squash and cranberry conserve completed the meal. A little dry but
very tasty, especially with the extra pinches of nutmeg. - -
phannema@wizard.ucr.edu
*"The Lighter Side of Casseroles," article by Jim Fobel for Bon Appetit
(1998:Feb p.66). Quintessential home cooking, casseroles can be heavy on
flavor but light on fat and calories. Also available: Lighter Than Mom's
Tuna-Noodle Casserole and the Mixed-Mushroom Lasagna with Parmesan Sauce,
both updated versions of time-honored dishes.
Recipe by: Jim Fobel (1998-Feb) Bon Appetit*
Posted to MC-Recipe Digest by KitPATh <phannema@wizard.ucr.edu> on Feb 11,
1998

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