Le Marriage, Alfredo Algerie

from Sarah O'Gwin

"This unique contemporary North African pasta dish combines Algerian, French, and Italian culinary sensibilities into one beautiful pasta featuring a white sauce with bite-sized chicken pieces. Serve over bow-tie, rotini, cheese ravioli, or tortellini pasta (I just used angel hair and it was good!)"

Original recipe yield: 4 servings.
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 20 Minutes
Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
5 cloves garlic, pressed
1/8 cup water
1/2 cup butter
5 saffron threads
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
splash of milk

DIRECTIONS:
Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken pieces in hot oil; cook, turning, until browned on both sides. Stir in cayenne, white pepper, and garlic. Pour in water, and cook until the chicken is done and the water has evaporated, about 30 minutes.

Stir in butter and saffron threads; cook for 10 minutes. Add cream cheese, stirring until melted and smooth. Gradually whisk in cream, smoothing out any lumps. Stir in Parmesan, and cook until the sauce reaches the consistency you like. If it becomes too thick, stir in a small amount of milk.

Just a note: I did not use the Saffron threads as they are a really expensive spice ($14.00 for a tiny amount!) I just omitted it and it still turned out great! Also I would not use that much oil to brown your chicken as it just will add to the fat content!!! One more word of advice, you may want to double the recipe for the kids and not put in the cayenne pepper!