Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala is a nice alternative to the old stand byes when planning dinner at home. Its really allot easier to make than you might realize. I switched things up a little bit with this one using Italian breaded chicken and  topping it with ham and mozzarella. To speed things up you can cut your chicken into chunks and  saute with the mushrooms. The most important thing though is the sauce. I like to use lots of Marsala wine and demi glace, basil, shallots and skinless diced tomatoes and swirl in some butter.

 

 

Chicken and Orzo Soup

 

One of my favorite soups ever is this one. The combination of a rich chicken broth aromatic vegetables, spinach and chunky tomatoes makes this a winner any day. When I was the Executive Chef of a multiunit Mediterranean Restaurant we made this soup every day and would sell 5 gallons per restaurant per day. I guarantee once you try it you will love it as much as me and all of those customers.

Start by roasting a chicken seasoned with salt pepper herbs and garlic

Place it in a pot of cold water with celery onion and carrots and bring it to a boil and simmer for 1 hour

Remove from the pot and discard aromatic vegetables,

Skim the fat while the stock settles

Remove as much of the meat from the bones of the chicken discarding the skin and bones holding the meat in a separate bowl

To the Broth add;

1 Diced red pepper

1 diced green pepper

3 stalks diced celery

one diced onion

3 cloves garlic crushed

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 lb chopped spinach

1 tbs Dry Italian seasoning (herb Mix from McCormick)

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring back to a boil and simmer for 1 hour

Add 1 cup Orzo and the chicken and bring down to a simmer

The Soup is ready to serve when the orzo is cooked, about 15 minutes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicken and Dumplings

With the kids back to school and Autumn fast approaching slow cooked stews and roasts are officially in season. On Sundays is when I have the time to make a dinner that requires time to reach perfection.Chicken and Dumplings is one of those Sunday Meals that excites the entire family as soon as the chickens hit the oven. It’s classic slow cooked family comfort food that permeates the house with fine aromas through the day heightening the olfactory senses and creating the type of anticipation that only adds to the finally of dinner time.

This is a meal I will start very early in the morning so I can execute every step perfectly while multitasking through the day resulting with a perfect conclusion.

Start with two 5 lb chickens seasoned on all sides with plenty of salt, pepper and garlic and roast them at 350 for 1 1/2 hours

While they roast cut 2 lbs carrots, 4 stalks celery and two large onions into 1 inch chunks and saute them to a medium brown and set aside.

When the Chickens are cooked place them in separate pots and put just enough water in the pots to cover them with an inch of water.

Bring them to a boil and turn down the flame so they can simmer for an hour.

Remove the chickens from the pots and allow to cool slightly so you can pull the meat off the bones placing the meat from the chickens in their respective pots, discard the bones and divide the vegetables between the two pots, season with salt, pepper, oregano, sage rosemary and basil. Bring it back to a simmer and thicken with roux to a smooth velvety consistency. ( If you don’t know how to make roux it’s actually quit simple and I am going to walk you through it. Start with two sticks of butter and half cup of flour. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan and add the flour stirring constantly, adjust the roux to a thick paste and cook over a medium flame stirring even still until blond in color. This only takes a few minutes. turn of the flame and divide between the two simmering pots stirring it in to assure there will be no lumps)

When the gravy has incorporated make your own dumplings with

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup water
2 small eggs
3 cups flour

In a large bowl, mix together the salt, oil, water, and eggs. Slowly add the flour to the mixture, blending it constantly with a fork. Stir only long enough to mix the dough.

Or to make it easy grab a box of Bisquick and follow the recipe for dumplings on the side of the box. These will set up in about 10 minutes and you will have a wonderful meal with your loved ones.

Chicken and Gnocchi with ripe tomatoes and basil

ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic and white wine.

Mid August is when my local Farm Stand is producing some of the best vegetables and herbs that can be found anywhere. If you are fortunate enough to have one in your proximity I would urge you to check one out. Farmers markets are also a great experience in their own where you can find top quality product in season at the moment.

Gnocchi are soft tender flavorful pillows of goodness, it is in essence a potato dumpling and something I have been very creative with through my history as a chef. They are very versatile in there application much the same way pasta is and often overlooked as a great alternative to pasta. Cooking them is very simple; boil some salted water, add the gnocchi and remove them when they float. Making Gnocchi on the other hand is an art in itself which is something for another article. For today’s purpose you can make them or if you don’t know how or couldn’t be bothered simply buy them either from a local pasta maker or gourmet food store.

Start with 2 lbs Gnocchi

While the water boils remove the skins from 2 very ripe beefsteak tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds and dice 3/4 inch

Cut 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast into chunks, lightly coat with flour and brown nicely in olive oil

add 3 cloves garlic and cook until golden

add 8 oz white wine and reduce boil until half of the liquid remains

squeeze one lemon

add 4 cups chicken broth and boil for a few minutes

When the gnocchi are cooked and drained add to the pan and toss with 4 ounces diced salted butter

finish with lots of fresh basil and chopped italian parsley

season with salt and pepper and be sure to have plenty of grated parmesan cheese on the table for everyone

Chicken Quesadillas with Roasted Red Peppers and Roasted Grape Tomatoes

When Invited to family cookouts I am often asked to bring along something creative and fun along with me which I am always to accommodate. Yesterday I was asked to bring some sort of appetizer. After mulling over Spanakopita, Antipasto skewers, Bruschetta, Tabouli and Hummus I decided to make something a bit more familiar while adding my Mediterranean technique to it.

Start by making some Roasted Red Peppers, you will need 3 for this recipe.

Slice one onion into thick rings, season and spray with oil and form some grill marks on to them

Then slice two Pints of grape tomatoes lengthwise tossing them lightly in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread them out on a baking sheet pan and roast them in the oven for 2 hours at 300 degrees.

Marinate and grill 3 lbs Chicken breast, I made a marinade with lots of lemon and olive oil, fresh herbs, garlic and a little salt, pepper and sugar

Shred 2 lbs Monterey Jack Cheese

When all ingredients are prepared layer them between two large Flour Tortillas, Spray both sides with oil and cook on the grill at the lowest setting. turning frequently to assure even heat. I like to cut mine in eight pieces. This should yield four  quesadillas using the described method or you can cook them open faced and fold them over when the cheese has melted and yield eight.

Boneless Buffalo Fingers

One of the best presents I ever received was a countertop fryolater from my beloved girlfriend and lifemate Kathy, I use it at least once a week to make things like hand cut french fries, fried chicken, chicken parm, mozzarella sticks, fried eggplant and the list goes on.

These Buffalo fingers are so good I can’t even go out for them anymore without feeling as though I’m settling for mediocre. As a chef I have to confess I did not serve chicken fingers or buffalo wings on my menus. They just never fit in with my style of cuisine. Later in my years as a Foodservice Salesman I was really surprised how many Chefs would just assume buy breaded chicken fingers than make them when it really is one of the easiest things to make in a commercial kitchen.

For this recipe I Marinated 2.5 lbs chicken breast cut into 3/4″ strips in a homemade italian dressing.

After marinating for a few hours coat lightly with flour

Dip in a wash mixture of milk and eggs

Coat with seasoned bread crumbs patting on all sides to assure an even coat

Before frying place 12 ounces hot sauce such as Franks Red Hot

6 ounces melted butter to adjust heat to mild, you can adjust this depending on how hot you want them

6 ounces Barbecue sauce for a little savory sweetness and mix until all ingredients are incorporated

Fry the fingers until golden brown and coat them with the sauce by tossing them in a large bowl

Serve with Bleu Cheese Dressing and Celery sticks

Grilled Lemon Chicken and Potatoes

I first had this dish in a Greek Village just north of Ioannina which was way up in the mountains. What amazed me about it was first how incredibly flavorful and simplistic the dish was. This was at a time very early in my career as a Professional Chef  and I have to admit my three week stay in Greece had a big impact on the rest of my career. I later had my children s Yia yia teach me how to make this as well as many other Greek dishes so you can be assured I will also be sharing them with you as well.

 I have seen this dish made in the oven and produced great results. The important thing to remember is to cook everything to “just done” and finish at a high temperature to add flavor and texture. Today it was nearly 90 and at the end of an intense heatwave so cooking on the grill was a far better option to further heating up the house with the oven.

In this recipe I used 8 good sized chicken thighs however you can use a cut up chicken or what ever you desire.

I cut 6 Russet Potatoes on the bias

Chopped 1 bulb of garlic

Squeezed 4 Lemons and added the rinds to the marinade

Added 1/4 Olive Oil

1 TBS. Kosher Salt

Lots of fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. ea.Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and marinade for 6 hours; this is usually something I do in the morning after breakfast.

When cooking this dish on the grill place all ingredients in an air tight foil wrapper or tightly sealed foil pan.

Cook for 30 minutes and finish by turning the grill to high and getting some beautiful grill marks on the chicken and potatoes

Be sure to reserve the juices in the pan or foil to pore over the platter, top each meal with some of the juice and enjoy this Greek comfort food.

 

 

Home Made Chicken Soup with Vermicelli

When I make chicken soup I always start with a roasted chicken, usually I cook two birds when I really only need one. When storing them I will scrape the pans to get all that wonderful brown stuff which adds great depth to my soup. The next day I will boil the chickens to make a broth starting it hot at a heavy boil for 10 minutes and skimming the top of rendered fat and foam from the proteins this will assure a clear broth with good color. I then simmer it lightly for an hour and a half so the chickens release the flavor from the bones.
Remove the chickens and allow them to cool to room temperature boil and skim impurities from the top of the broth and turn it off. I then use only carrots, onions and celery, Italian herbs black pepper and a bit of salt.
While that boils I will remove the succulent meat from the bones and cut into very large chunks, it will break apart while cooking. Add vermicelli and chicken, allow your soup to come back to a boil for 10 minutes and dinner is served.