One Pot and One Tagine Pasta

With the election over, and lots of people either elated or furious, we decided to mend the fences with one of the easiest, freshest, and tastiest dinners we have had in a very, very long time.  Also, this dish is green and yellow--how bipartisan! 

Broccoli, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, chicken, wheat pasta, a dash of crushed red pepper, and parmesan.  That's all this takes.  Yes, you read it right.  That's all.  The key is to (obviously) use fresh broccoli and fresh lemon.  No cheating, people.  The whole thing from start to finish takes less than half an hour.  Holy smokes!  The result is gourmet--the zing of the lemon, the freshness of the lemon, a hint of creaminess from the parmesan, and a touch of heat from the pepper.  It's so good.

Anyone who you serve this to will be sure to get along.

Bipartisan Pasta:

• one head of broccoli cut into bite size florets
• the zest of one fresh lemon 
• the juice of that lemon 
• two large chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces
• a dash of red pepper flakes
• a little olive oil
• wheat penne pasta
• grated parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil to cook the pasta.
2. In a tagine (or a large saucepan with a very tight fitting lid), add all of the ingredients except the pasta and cheese.  
3. Cook over medium-high until the chicken is cooked through and the broccoli is soft, but not mushy.
4. When the broccoli and chicken are a few minutes away from being done, add the pasta to the boiling water.
5. Cook until al dente.
6. Drain the pasta and return to the pot.  Add a little olive oil to the pasta.  Add the contents of the tagine.  Add the parmesan.
7. Stir to combine.
8. ENJOY!!!!!
9. (Yes, it is that easy.)