This dish is a menu favorite at one of
Nashville's most popular upper-scale resturants,
Sunset Grille. The trade secret of
deglazing with rum was shared by a
friend gifted in the gourmet, so after a little haphazard kitchen experimentation, I bring it to you.
You will need:
- 1 lb each chicken breast, shrimp (peeled), andouille sausage (kielbasa is ok), and linguine.
- purple onion, medium
- red bell pepper or two
- tomato
- jalapenos, pickled -this is fairly optional-
- dark spiced rum (not much, but essential)
- garlic, at least half a head
- basic spices, most importantly cayenne
- a really Big Bowl
•
This dish is one of heavy cajun influence, and is quite spicy. Not recommended for supertasters or vegans.•
Chunk up your chicken and marinade in:
olive oil • red wine vinegar • oregano • garlic (mushed) • jalapeno juice • salt • black pepper • cayenne
Meanwhile...
Start pasta water boiling.
Quarter your tomato and broil on a cookie sheet until it blackens on top.
Slice the sausage into oblong medallions. Julienne the bell peppers and onion. Thinly slice about 3 cloves garlic.
Mush or food-process the blackened tomato with a little salt and oil until it resembles a milkshake. Set aside.
Is the chicken done marinating? Are you sure? Okay, we're ready to go.
Start the pasta.
Sauté the chicken, sausage, garlic, and onion in some of that marinade plus a little oil. Keep the cayenne nearby and throw some in whenever inspired. (Don't lose that cajun mindset, now.) When the chicken is close to done, toss in the peppers and shrimps, maybe some jalapenos. When the shrimp is pink, remove from heat.
Deglazing
Underneath your meats is a charred goo of tasty goodness. Leaving as much goo in the pan as possible, shovel your meats and peppers into a Big Bowl.
Open the rum. If desired, mix with soda and ice. Consume.
On low heat, (don't let the pan cool too much!) pour enough rum in to cover the bottom of the pan, and start scraping at the goo to mix the sauce together. Add more salt, spices, cayenne. When the alcohol has evaporated, pour in the liquefied tomato mixture and simmer together for a few minutes. Put your meats back in the pan, stir, simmer.
Drain the pasta.
Toss pasta, meats, and sauce in the Big Bowl, coating the pasta well.
This is a very red dish, so serve with a green salad and a cold beer. Serves 4 to 6.