Homefront: Even without rosemary bushes in the yard, this chicken pasta dish is favorite

Linguine with chicken, walnuts and rosemary (with some almonds left over from that morning’s oatmeal topping), served with broccoli. Photo courtesy of Trisha Sheaff

“When (my husband David and I) lived in Orange County we had a rosemary bush at our front door, and all I had to do was go outside and clip off the fresh rosemary to use in this recipe. It is still one of our favorite recipes, but I can never capture the fresh taste of rosemary, even when I buy the fresh packages of it at the grocery store. This recipe was from the Food Section of the L.A. Times back in the 1980s. We lived there from 1988-1992, so sometime in that period.” — Trisha Sheaff, HARPSWELL

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Salt and pepper

4 tablespoons butter

2/3 cup dry white wine

1 (14½ ounce) can chicken broth

2/3 cup half and half or whipping cream

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1 pound linguine, cooked and drained

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Place in bowl with flour, rosemary and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly until chicken is evenly coated.

In large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring frequently until evenly browned and barely cooked through, approximately 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate.

Add wine to skillet and bring to boil over high heat, scraping up browned bits from pan. Add half and half after bringing chicken broth to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened slightly.

Stir in chicken and 1/4 cup walnuts. Add hot, drained linguine and toss to coat noodles thoroughly. Divide mixture among 4 to 6 warm dinner plates. Sprinkle each serving with remaining 1/4 cup walnuts.

Note: To toast walnuts, spread evenly on baking sheet and place in oven at 300 degrees F until color deepens, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently and watch carefully to avoid burning them.

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