Italian

This is one of the more frequently served meals from our repertoire of quick chicken breast dishes. It looks far fancier then it actually is. It’s great for a weeknight but is also a worthy dinner party option.

This recipe includes one of my “dirty little secret” ingredients. British gravy granules Bisto. Bisto has been around for over 100 years and is used to color and thicken gravies and sauces. It adds a tiny bit of flavor, but not a lot. I add it to stews, sauces, and gravies that need a little thickening. I use it here to tighten up and finish the sauce in this Chicken Marsala. You can usually find it in the British/Irish section of the grocery store, or at many online retailers.

Ingredients, for 2-3 servings

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup flour

salt and pepper

olive oil for sauteing

1 Tablespoon butter, for sauteing

3/4 pound mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed and sliced

2 large cloves garlic, finely minced

1 cup sweet marsala wine

1 cup chicken stock

2 Tablespoons Bisto

1 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes (my preference) for serving

Place the flour in a zip lock bag. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken breast, dredge and pound the chicken into a flat filet. Repeat with the other pieces of chicken.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet. I use my cast iron skillet for this recipe. Brown the chicken on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the garlic and saute until soft. Add the mushrooms and saute until soft and a little brown. (You may need to add a little more oil or a pat of butter.) About 5 minutes.

Add the Marsala wine. Bring to a simmer and reduce the wine, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock. Return to simmer and add the chicken. Simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Finally, add two tablespoons of Bisto to the simmering sauce, to thicken it up. (Alternatively, you could use a couple tablespoons of corn starch dissolved in a little stock.)

Reduce heat to warm, while you prepare your pasta, rice or potatoes. Garnish the chicken with a little fresh chopped parsley.Serve with a fresh vegetable and a lovely, dry white wine.

Have a lovely evening. Thanks for stopping by.

MSLS

We were surprised when we didn’t find this recipe here on the blog, since it’s something we make a couple times a year. With a little searching, it turns out we had posted it “way back when”. It was not our best work…I hope you find this updated, refreshed post much more appealing!

This is a “go big, or go home” recipe. It’s a bit of work and is best when left to simmer all day. We’ve adapted it to our biggest stock pot*, by tripling the recipe. We like to stock our freezer with this sauce, for a quick meal or to make an extra special lasagna. Use the best ingredients you can afford, including imported Italian tomatoes…they do make a difference.

* Le Creuset #34, 13.25 quarts. Weight is 21 pounds. Not sure how many more years I’ll be able to toss this baby around the kitchen!

Bolognese Sauce

Adapted from Food & Wine, September 2003, 25 Favorite Classics, by Marcia Kiesel

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely diced

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 celery rib, finely diced

1 pound coarsely ground beef chuck

1 pound coarsely ground pork

1/4 pound mortadella, cut into 1/4-inch dice (optional)

1 small can tomato paste

1 cup dry white wine

Two 28-ounce can Italian whole tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved

1 1/2 cups beef stock

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped basil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

In a medium enameled cast-iron casserole, melt the butter in the oil. Add the garlic, pancetta, carrot, onion and celery and cook over moderately low heat until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes.

Add the ground beef and pork and cook over moderate heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the mortadella and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, the stock, nutmeg and 1 tablespoon each of the parsley and basil and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very thick. I like to simmer this sauce at least 4 hours.

Reduce heat to very low, stir the cream and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley and 1 tablespoon of basil into the meat sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

We like to serve this over pappadrelle or buccatini pasta, alongside a tossed salad and great Italian bread. Buon appetito.

Laura’s Quick Chicken Marsala

Bolognese…. for days