I’m not sure how we first got onto the subject, but a couple of weeks ago when my son and daughter-in-law visited we ended up talking about the Cheesecake Factory, and our favorite dishes served at this popular restaurant. I've only been there twice, both times having the Thai Peanut Noodles, and both times really enjoying it. My daughter-in-law, who once worked there, said that her favorite dish is the Da Vinci pasta, adding that she would love it if I could find the recipe.
After a brief Google search, I did find a recipe at bigoven.com. Last night I tried it, following it exactly, with the exception of using rigatoni instead of penne pasta because rigatoni was all I had. I really liked this dish. I think one of the reasons I liked it so much was due to the inclusion of the wonderfully flavorful Madeira wine that made up of part of the sauce. I made it with the chicken as directed, but I think this would be excellent as a vegetarian dish with the addition of more mushrooms, and perhaps zucchini. At any rate, this is definitely a dish worth trying, and would be an excellent choice to serve on those cool fall nights.
Da Vinci Pasta (Cheesecake Factory Clone)
Slightly adapted from bigoven.com
1 large red onion, diced
1 .5 ounce pkg. Melissa’s dried morel mushrooms, hydrated and halved
2-4 Tablespoons Olive oil
1 cup Madeira wine
1-2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sour cream
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-4 chicken boneless, skinless breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 pound penne pasta; cooked according to directions
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
In a 9” skillet, over
medium heat, caramelize the onion in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle the
onion with a little salt, and cook them until they are a rich brown color and
taste sweet. The onions will have a “gooey” texture and excess liquid will be
evaporated.
Add the chicken,
mushrooms, and garlic to the onions. (Add a little more oil if the mixture is
too dry.). Sauté until chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms are soft.
Remove from skillet and set aside.
Deglaze the pan with
the wine, and bring to a slow boil; reduce by 2/3 until the alcohol smell has
cooked out.
Lower the heat and
once the mixture is no longer boiling, add the sour cream and heavy cream. Stir
constantly until melted. Swirl in the butter. Add cooked chicken mixture and
stir. Toss with the cooked and drained pasta. Salt and pepper to taste.
