It's a VERY rare occasion when it's too hot to turn on the oven in SF. Tonight, it stayed around 80 degrees, which meant that the oven was out of the question when it came to dinner! I turned to another recipe from my Pasta Revolution cookbook and make Pasta with Chicken Cacciatore Sauce. All done on the stovetop and VERY easy! I rarely get the chance to use Herbes de Provence and loved it in this dish!
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 c onions, chopped
1 c mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 tsp all-purpose flour
1/4 c red wine
1/2 c chicken broth
1 c diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 lb cooked chicken, sliced
Penne, cooked
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Prep:
1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook until browned, 5 minutes.
2. Stir in garlic and Herbes de Provence and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
3. Whisk in wine and broth until smooth. Add tomatoes and sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce is thickened, 10 minutes.
4. Stir in chicken, pasta and Parmesan. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Sargento's Italian Sausage Pasta!" I left out the bell pepper cuz I didn't have any and added Italian seasoning since I used regular chopped tomatoes. This meal came together so quickly and it was just so cheesy and yummy! Happy Monday everyone!
That was the question my hubby asked when I announced that I was making Pork Ragù for dinner. In case you're also in the dark, Ragù can be any meat-based sauce served over pasta. Ground meat is common but braised meat can also be used, which is what I made tonight. Pork Ragù is often made with pork shoulder, which takes at least an hour to cook but since I used boneless pork chops, my dish cooked in just 30 minutes. Tender and flavorful, the sauce was just perfect on top of some Rigatoni!
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless pork, cut into cubes
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
1/2 c carrots, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c dry red wine
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 c chicken stock
Rigatoni, for serving
Grated parmesan, for topping
Prep:
1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season pork with rosemary, thyme, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Sear pork in the hot oil until well brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. Add carrots and onions; cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Pour in wine and deglaze to release any brown bits from the bottom. Stir in tomato paste, tomatoes with juice and stock. Bring to a simmer and add pork back.
4. Cover and cook until meat is very tender and sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes.
4. Serve over Rigatoni and garnish with Parmesan.
You would think after being with a foodie (such as myself) for over 7 years, my hubby would know the difference between Marsala and Masala. NOPE! When I said that I was making Lamb Marsala for dinner, he said "Oh I love Indian lamb!" (*sigh) Then I explained to him that I actually meant I was cooking the lamb is a reduced wine sauce and NOT in a mixture of Indian spices. "That sounds good too!" he replied. Oh well, at least my man's not a picky eater! In fact, I love that he's willing to try new recipes that I find or come up with and most of the time really enjoys them! I guess that's why we're a match made in yummy heaven!
Ingredients:
2 lamb shoulder chops
Salt and pepper
1/4 c flour
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 c diced carrots
1/4 c diced onions
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 c Marsala wine (or Sherry)
1/4 c beef broth
Prep:
1. Season chops with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
2. Heat oil and butter on medium-high in a Dutch oven until butter is melted. Add chops and brown for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove and keep warm.
3. Add carros and onions and cook until browned, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
4. Pour in wine and broth and bring to a boil. Deglaze and add chops back. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer until chops are tender, 20-30 minutes.
5. Remove chops to serving platter. Turn heat up to high and boil until thickened, 5 minutes. Pour over chops and serve.
Have you heard of Chicken Marengo? According to Wiki, it was an Italian dish that Napoleon ate after the Battle of Marengo. The chef cut up some chicken and fried it in olive oil, then made a sauce from tomatoes, garlic onions and wine. Since those are ingredients I always have on hand, it became a very easy weeknight meal. My version also included mushrooms and mashed potatoes. Nothing fancy but a VERY comforting Friday night dinner!
Tonight, we took a trip to Tuscany with these pork chops and they were really yummy! I loved the combination of Balsamic Vinegar with the tomatoes and garlic. (I left out the capers cuz hubby's not a fan.) I served the chops over our favorite Cheesy Polenta and it was definitely an awesome meal! Can't wait to actually go to Italy though!
Beer and ketchup are 2 of our favorite food items so when I came across these Beer-Braised Meatballs, I knew I had to try them! Instead of tomato sauce, I used some left-over canned chopped tomatoes so my sauce was a bit more chunky. The flavors were amazing and the meal came together in no time! I served my meatballs over some Cheesy Polenta and it was comfort food at its best!
SF has been hit with some super windy weather so we definitely needed some comfort food for dinner. I had some boneless chicken thighs thawing in the fridge so I decided to create one of our favorite Italian dishes, Parmesan Chicken. It's the ultimate comfort food topped with warm Marinara Sauce and LOTS of ooey gooey Mozzarella! YUMMY!
Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c dried bread crumbs
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into pieces
1 c Marinara Sauce
1/2 c shredded Mozzarella
Hot cooked pasta
Prep:
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels.
2. In a bowl, combine the minced garlic with the melted butter. In another bowl mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Dip chicken pieces into garlic butter, then into crumb mixture to coat.
3. Pour garlic butter into a skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and brown 5 minutes on each side.
4. Spread half of the Marinara Sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Place browned chicken pieces on top. Drizzle with garlic butter from the pan and top with remaining Marinara Sauce.
5. Sprinkle with Mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and cheese is bubbly. Serve with pasta.
Tonight, I made Chicke all'Arrabbiata, which means Angry Chicken in Italian and it's got some serious kick to it! Spiced with a mixture of Poblano AND red chili flakes, you can really taste the heat and why this bird is angry! I used a red bell pepper instead of yellow and I also finished the dish on the stovetop instead of the oven. A VERY yummy treat on a Friday night!
We enjoyed the Veal Parmigiana so much last time that I decided to make them again. This time, I followed this recipe from Food Network and we loved the addition of the tomato sauce on top! The meat was cut really thin and came out perfectly tender. Plus with all that CHEESE, how can they not be good?
Whenever I cook with cream, I always think of a fancy meal so tonight I felt very fancy with these Pork Chops in Cream Sauce. They were SO incredibly delicious and I was very proud of myself for not overcooking the pork! I served them with some Cheesy Polentas and dinner was just perfect!
I've made Chicken Cacciatore more than once but we're not tired of it yet! This time I followed a recipe from Life's Ambrosia Blog (which I'm totally in love with BTW!) and it turned out amazing! I used some Italian-style canned tomatoes, which were really thick so I left out the tomato sauce and I also didn't have any capers. The meat was tender and "cooked to perfection" (quoting Greg)! I served my chicken over some couscous and we made sure every last drop of that amazing sauce was devoured!
I've made Chicken Cacciatore before and we loved it so I decided to make it again. I had some zucchini in the fridge so I added some in. I figured the more veggies the better right? This time I served the chicken over couscous and it did a great job of soaking up all the yummy sauce!
Ingredients:
2 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
Salt and black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 c onion, finely diced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 c chicken broth
1 c diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 medium zucchini, cut into sticks
1 c white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
1 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Prep:
1. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the thighs and brown 2 to 3 min per side. Transfer to a plate.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and garlic. Stir with a wooden spoon and scrap up any browned bits, until the onion softens and browns, about 5 min. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, thyme, rosemary and chili flakes.
3. Nestle the chicken back into the sauce and add any accumulated juices. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until internal temperature reaches 160°F, another 20 to 25 min. Remove chicken to serving platter.
4. Turn heat up to high and boil until sauce thicks, about 5 min. Pour over chicken and sprinkle with parsley.
