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Chicken Marsala

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Chicken Marsala
Chicken Marsala

This Marsala recipe can be made with chicken or veal cutlets. Be sure if you make it with veal you buy a good quality veal, such as milk fed. It’s expensive but worth it. I use a California Marsala, please do not use the cooking wine type, it’s just watered down.

Ingredients;
6 chicken cutlets, tossed in 4 TBLS flour
4 TBLS unsalted butter
3 TBLS olive oil
2 TBLS shallot, minced
1 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup beef stock
1 box 8oz-12oz fresh mushrooms, cleaned and thick sliced, button or any kind you like
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions;
In a large frying pan heat the butter and oil. Add the shallot for 2-3 minutes then add the cutlets. Saute the cutlets a few minutes on each side. Remove the cutlets. Turn the heat up to med-high and add the mushrooms. Saute until they shrink a little. Then add the wine for a few minutes, scrapping the pan drippings, until the wine reduces. Add the stock and bring it up to a good simmer, until it also reduces. Add the cutlets back in. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve now if you make it with veal,  if chicken, simmer covered on low for 20 minutes.

Serve with you favorite starch & veggie.

Italian Ragu Meat Sauce, Bolognese Style

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Bolognese serving
Bolognese serving

This Bolognese meat sauce is a classic from the city of Bologna, Italy. I’m sharing this with you but the true author is Marcella Hazen. She brings to you so many classic Italian dishes in her cookbooks.  This meat sauce takes time to simmer but it literally melts in your mouth and is so creamy tasting. Start this in a heavy stock pot and once it’s put together transfer it to a crock pot, it will cook gently as it is suppose to. It freezes well so double the recipe for a quick work night dinner.

Ingredients;
2 TBLS chopped onion
3 TBLS unsalted butter
3 TBLS olive oil
2 TBLS chopped celery
2 TBLS chopped carrot
3/4 LB ground beef, chuck or meat from the neck
1/2 TSP salt
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup whole milk
1/8 TSP nutmeg
2 cups canned whole Italian tomatoes in their juice, roughly chopped
12oz-16oz cooked pasta, see recommendations below

Directions;

In a heavy stock pot on med heat add the butter, oil and onion, saute a few minutes until just becoming translucent. Add the celery and carrot. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the beef and salt breaking it apart with a fork. Saute just until the pink is faded but DO NOT brown it. Add the wine and turn the heat up stirring until the wine has nearly evaporated. Turn the heat down to med and add the milk and nutmeg stirring until the milk has evaporated.  Add the tomatoes and stir. Once the tomatoes come to a simmer pour the mixture into a crock pot and cook UNCOVERED for about 3-5 hours OR you can keep it in the original pot and lower the heat to barely a bubble for about 3-4 hours.

Bolognese Sauce
Bolognese Sauce

Best served over cooked Tagliatelle or fresh if you can get it, Tortellini pasta. Sprinkled with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

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Parmesan Mashed Potatoes is a delicious side dish that you can also make with leftover mashed.

Parmesan mashed potatoes
Parmesan mashed potatoes mixed and ready for the oven

Ingredients:
5 large red skin or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 to 5 TBLS milk
3 TBLS butter
2 TSP  dried parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese + a little more for the top
1 egg
3 TBLS Italian flavored bread crumbs
salt & pepper to taste

Directions;
Preheat oven 350.
Boil the potatoes until tender, drain them. Add enough milk to make them creamy but not too loose, add butter and blend until creamy. Add the parsley, cheese and egg and blend. Spread the potatoes in a baking dish so that its about 2″ deep. Sprinkle the top with bread crumb and a little Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes, until top is lightly browned.

Parmesan mashed potatoes
Parmesan mashed potatoes

What to bake a cake but don’t have much time ?

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Here’s a tip to help and make the cake lower fat too. Choose a boxed cake mix. Leave out the oil/butter and water it calls for (not the eggs) and add a can of pie filling to your boxed cake mix instead. Try yellow cake mixed with a can of peach pie filling or a chocolate cake mix with a can of cherry pie filling. You can mix together any flavors you like.

Osso Buco in Bianco (Braised Veal Shanks in White Wine)

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Osso buco is an old classic northern Italian veal dish. So tender and the whine sauce is finger licking good. You can finish it in a crock pot but it must be big enough so the fluid surrounds all the meat, not just one layer.

Braised veal shank
Braised veal shank aka Osso Buco
Osso buco
Osso buco

Ingredients:
4-6 veal shanks, cut 1-1/2 inches thick
4 TBLS butter
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup flour
1-1/2 cups dry white wine
1 TBLS lemon zest, no white just the outer yellow skin
4 TBLS fresh minced parsely
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Put the butter and oil in a pan big enough to fit the veal in one layer, all of it touching the bottom of the pan. Heat to med-high until the butter is bubbling. Dredge the veal in the flour and place in the hot pan. Brown on each side turning once, add the salt and pepper. Add the wine and lower to a very low simmer, covered. After about 15 minutes see if the fluid is too low and add 1/2 cup water if needed. Simmer on very low for 2 – 2.5 hours, periodically checking the fluid level. The veal will pull away from the bone and cut with a fork when done. Remove the shanks to a warm platter. Add the lemon peel and parsley to the pan and turn the heat up to med-high stirring and scrapping the pan residue loose. Return the veal to the pan for just a few minutes. Serve with the sauce poured over the veal shanks.