All-American Corn Pasta with Chicken, Chilies and Tomatoes

I have had this recipe bookmarked for almost a year waiting for the day when I had the best weather and a full afternoon. I enjoy making homemade pasta and with something I am not familiar with, I like to take my time and do it right.

I had purchased a few Time-Life books back in 1986 in a series called "Fresh Ways with...." and this was from the pasta cookbook. (I also bought the vegetable and poultry books)
All the recipes have been reworked and lightened up in a time when most people didn't even know what bad cholesterol was.

The one thing I liked about these books were their creativity that fits in with today's eating and if you did not know better you would think this was a recent cookbook.
Making homemade pasta and cutting the strips is at least a half day process and the timing from done to boiling water must coincide for when you are ready to sit and eat.

I find that pasta that uses half AP and half flavored flour is extremely delicate and dries out and cracks if left on the counter for too long. Even though I cover it with a damp towel, it does not have the stability (less gluten) to dry like if I used all AP flour.

Please excuse the terrible pic, Hurricane Arthur came to dinner and I really wanted to share this recipe.

You don't have to make your own pasta but I would firmly suggest buying fresh fettuccine. The sauce is light-weight and screams for a light pasta.

Took me a while to figure out what the sauce tasted like and finally right before I was done it hit me.
It tasted like a California pizza and as soon as I said it, The Nudge shook his head in agreement. While I added the chicken breast meat, I followed the recipe as written and on a hot, stormy evening, this was a nice light supper.

Corn Pasta with Chilies and Tomatoes
Makes 4 servings

Corn pasta dough:
* 3/4 cup masa harina (finely ground corn flour)
* 3/4 cup bread flour
* 1 egg
* 1 egg white
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 cup water, divided

Hot chili and tomato sauce:
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 5 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
* 2 small dried red chilies (chili de arbol), finely chopped or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1 green pepper, seeded, ribbed and chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 large ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1. To make the pasta dough, mix the cornmeal and flour in the bowl of a food processor. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, egg white and 3 tablespoons of water. Slowly pour the wet through the feed tube until the dough comes together, forms a ball and cleans off the sides of the bowl.  Open the lid and squeeze the dough between your fingers. If it sticks together, remove to a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes.
2. Dust a large board with flour and using a rolling pin, roll to an 1/8-inch thickness. If you have a pasta machine, roll pieces until you can see your finger through the dough. Remove to a kitchen towel that has been lightly floured and continue rolling the remaining dough. Do not overlap the strips and cover each layer when done.
3. Use the fettuccine roller attachment and after each strip is cut, make a nest, sprinkle with flour and continue until they are all done.
4. Start a pot of salted water to a boil and in a separate skillet, heat the oil and add the garlic and red chilies or pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic turns a light brown - about four minutes.
5. Stir in the tomato, vinegar and butter and cook the mixture for an additional two minutes.
6. Drain the noodles and add them to the skillet containing the sauce. Toss well and serve hot.
If the sauce dries out add some of the pasta water.

Grated Romano cheese optional.

Nutrition (minus the chicken and cheese):
Calories: 297
Cholesterol: 76mg
Total Fat: 12g
Sat Fat: 3g
Sodium: 267mg
Protein: 8g