Pasta with shredded chicken and cherry tomatoes

With an arsenal of short and long pasta in your pantry, you are always within reach of a quick meal.
Today's dish combines penne with chicken cooked using a Chinese method. Strained and refrigerated overnight then cleared of its raft of fat, the cooking liquid makes a handy stock to use in the next day or two, or to freeze for later.
Salting the tomatoes intensifies their flavour, but they need to sit for at least an hour to enable the salt to drain away in the liquid.
I used whole olives and set out bowls for the discarded pips, but if you think that would be a hassle you can use a small knife to remove them in advance. Commercially de-pipped olives are mostly tasteless and best avoided.
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
salt
pure olive oil
3-4 skinless chicken thighs
three-quarters cup chicken stock
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
2 spring onions, cut into 1cm lengths
2 thin slices ginger, unpeeled
4 handfuls (around 200g) penne or other short pasta
2 Tbsps small black or brown olives
salt and pepper
2-3 Tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
1cm piece Parmesan, shaved
2-3 Tbsps rough-chopped flatleaf parsley
In a bowl toss tomatoes with one teaspoon each of salt and pure olive oil. Put aside to stand for at least an hour then strain, discarding liquid.
In a pot with the stock, cook chicken, peppercorns, spring onions and ginger covered with cold water.
Bring to the boil, lower heat and simmer 8 minutes. Remove from the heat but leave lid on for another 20 minutes. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon, reserving the cooking liquid. Meanwhile, boil a large pot of salted water. Add pasta and cook, stirring once, for 10-12 minutes.
While it cooks, shred chicken off the bone and tear into bite-sized pieces.
Heat a little pure olive oil in a frypan, add tomatoes, olives and chicken just to warm through.
Add drained pasta and enough of the reserved cooking water to moisten. Season to taste, then serve in warmed bowls.
Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, scatter shaved Parmesan and chopped parsley on top.
Light lunch for 4
Wine match
Most dry white or rose wines will sit happily next to this dish. I enjoyed it recently with a new member of the Villa Maria portfolio, Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawkes Bay Arneis 2010 ($20-$24).
With a bouquet like spiced apples and a richly fruited, but lively, flavour, it hits all the right notes with the chicken and has enough acid to complement the saltiness in the olives and sharpness in the tomatoes.