Scamorza cheese (smoked mozzarella) elevates this simple pasta to pure perfection! With herby, honey pan roasted cherry tomatoes and brown butter pine nuts, this has a touch of luxury while being simple to prepare and wonderfully paired with a chilled glass of Tūpari Pinot Gris.
We have paired with the amazing Wairiri Buffalo Farm to bring you this recipe and honestly it is so delicious!
Wairiri Buffalo Scamorza & Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 300g pasta/spaghetti
- 300g diced chicken
- 500g cherry tomatoes
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp Flaxbourne honey
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 tsps fresh thyme leaves
- 200g Wariri Buffalo Scamorza (chopped into small squares)
- 4 Tbsp pine nuts
- 25g butter
- 2 handfuls fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tbsps parmesan or other Italian hard cheese, grated
Method
- Prepare the honey balsamic glaze by whisking together the olive oil, honey and balsamic vinegar.
- In a deep sided frying pan or a shallow casserole dish, add the tomatoes and the glaze. Bring to a medium-high heat until the glaze starts to bubble.
- Add the thyme to the pan.
- Keep the heat as low as possible whilst still allowing the glaze to bubble, and stir the tomatoes regularly until they have mostly collapsed. For me, it takes about 10 minutes but every stovetop is different. Don't worry if the glaze is fairly runny – it will thicken as it stands.
- Remove from the heat and let them sit.
- Boil the pasta according to package instructions
- While it is cooking, add most of the basil to the cooked tomatoes and stir through. (Save a little basil to top the pasta with at the end
- Drain the pasta when al dente.
- Toss the pasta into the mixture with the cherry tomatoes. Add the scamorza cubes and mix through until they start to soften, but not quite melting (you may need to put on a very low heat to achieve this). Then let that sit while you cook the pine nuts. You want everything ready before starting the pine nuts.
- In a seperate pan, cook the chicken and add to the mixture.
- Add the pine nuts and butter to a small frying pan or milk pan. Heat until the butter is starting to bubble slightly, and then turn the heat down as low as possible. Mix continuously and after 4-5 minutes the butter should be a slightly browning and smell toasty.
- Pour the pine nuts and butter over the top of the spaghetti.
- Serve, adding a little extra basil and some grated parmesan cheese to the top of each bowl
Enjoy and share with your loved ones!
Things to note: Don’t be tempted to try to overlap cooking the tomatoes and cooking the pasta. Cooking the tomatoes fully before you start the pasta really gives the best result as it allows the tomatoes time to stand. The sauce thickens and they get stickier and jammier and far more delicious