Cajun Bowties

  Once upon a time, at the venerable local ale house, Barley's, there was a dish called Cajun Bowties - blackened chicken and shrimp in a spicy Cajun cream sauce with bowtie pasta.  Oh, how I miss it.  Come to think of it, I haven't been to Barley's in awhile.  Must remedy that and write about sauerkraut balls.  But I digress.  Here is my homage to the old Barley's Cajun Bowties.  It turned out pretty well, I felt; cream, with its ability to neutralize heat on the tongue, is a great companion to the Cajun spices.  I used blackening spice and Cajun spice because I had both in the cupboard, but you could use one or the other if you chose.

Why the small picture?  Well, I got a new camera!!! But we are having a bit of a learning curve, truth be told, and so I thought maybe just a peak at the pasta, because you can see from the low level of contrast how it might be a rather boring picture... The recipe, of course, is included in the extended post.

Cajun Bowties - serves 2

1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning

4 ounces shrimp; peeled and deveined

6 ounces dry bowtie (farfale) pasta

olive oil

1/2 large red onion, chopped into medium dice

2 roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, mashed

Blackening spice

salt & pepper

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces

1/4 cup chicken stock or water, as needed

2 tsp Cajun spice, plus more to garnish

Dash Tabasco

1/2 cup heavy cream

This might sound completely unorthodox, but I like to put the Old Bay seasoning in my boiling, salted water and cook the shrimp 3 minutes, or until almost done, and then cook my pasta in the same water.  Just gives the pasta a little something extra.  Cook the shrimp and set aside; cook the pasta according to package directions and drain.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, cook the onions in a little olive oil until they are translucent, 5-7 minutes.  If, at any time, the pan becomes dry and starts to brown, deglaze with a little chicken stock or water.  Add the tomatoes and stir for a minute or so, and then stir in the garlic.  Season the chicken liberally with salt, pepper and blackening spice; add to the pan and cook until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.  Add the shrimp.  Sprinkle everything liberally with Cajun seasoning and Tabasco to taste, then add the cream, starting with 1/4 cup and adding more as needed to get a nice creamy consistency.  Turn the heat up to heat the cream.  Stir in the pasta and add more cream as needed.  Place in bowls and garnish with a little more Cajun spice and Tabasco.