Ingredients

Method

• 1 T chicken seasoning
• 2 T olive oil
• 500 g free-range chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 T butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 x 410 g can Woolworths chakalaka
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• a pinch brown sugar
• 2 cups fresh cream
• 1 T fresh sage chopped
•  500 g pasta of your choice
• ½ cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• fried sage leaves, to garnish
• toasted ciabatta, for serving (optional)

Method

Ingredients

1.Season the chicken with the chicken seasoning and drizzle with 1 T olive oil.

2.Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan over a high heat and brown the chicken for 2–3 minutes until lightly coloured. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3.Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter, onion and garlic and cook until softened.

4.Blend the chakalaka until smooth. Stir it into the onion mixture, season with salt, pepper and brown sugar, then cook for 2 minutes.

5.Pour in the cream and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

6.Return the chicken to the pan with the chopped sage and simmer for a further 3–4 minutes.

7.Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions in salted boiling water. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water before draining.

8.Stir the Parmesan into the sauce. Add the cooked pasta and a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss until glossy and well coated.

9.Serve topped with extra Parmesan and crispy fried sage leaves, with toasted ciabatta on the side if desired.

Cook’s note: Canned chakalaka already contains onions, peppers and spices, making it the perfect shortcut ingredient for a flavour-packed pasta sauce. For a vegetarian version, simply replace the chicken with sautéed mushrooms.

Food assistant: Courtney Earle

Videographer: Trevor Kunene

Editor: Romy Wilson

Extracted with permission from Love & Lobola: A Modern African Romance Told in Recipes and Rituals by Neo Nontso, published by Quivertree Publications.