Tuscan Style Chicken Marsala

I saw this in the spice isle of my grocery store and thought I would give it a try. It was great, very flavorful and the perfect amount of spice. I served it over No Yolk Egg Noodles but I am sure it would be great over spaghetti or angel hair pasta. I would not use the Egg Noodles again. I served the left overs with white rice and it was much better.

Penne A La Vodka With Chicken

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
Coarse salt and pepper
16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves.

Mushroom Risotto

Recipe from The Best Ever Low Fat cookbook.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp dried porcini mushrooms
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 fresh sage sprig, finely chopped (I omitted because I didn't have any sage)
generous 1 1/4 cups risotto rice
1/2 cup white wine
8 oz./ 225 g cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cups hot vegetable stock
4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
shavings of fresh Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions:

• Put the dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and pour in the boiling water to cover. let soak for 30 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Using a sharp knife, chop the mushrooms and strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter paper or cheesecloth-lined strainer.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottom pan. Add the onion, garlic, and sage and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook over low heat, stirring constantly to coat the grains and with the oil, for 3 minutes. Add the white wine and cook, stirring constantly, until it has evaporated. Stir in the porcini and cremini mushrooms, the mushroom soaking liquid and a large laddleful of the hot Vegetable Stock. Let simmer, stirring constantly, until all the stock has been absorbed. Continue adding the Vegetable Stock and stirring in this way for 20 minutes, or until all the stock has been absorbed and the rice is tender but still firm to the bite.
  
• Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the risotto between 4 warmed serving plates, garnish with shavings of Parmesan cheese and serve.

Enjoy!

Chicken Thighs In Mushroom Sauce

I found this recipe on The Food Network. Gotta love Rachael Ray!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/rosemary-grilled-chicken-thighs-and-wild-mushroom-sauce-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• Coarse salt and black pepper
• 3 stems fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and chopped
  
• 1 cup chicken
• 1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 2 portobello mushroom caps, halved and thinly sliced
  
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry red wine

Directions

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Drizzle chicken thighs with oil, season with salt, pepper and rosemary. Grill chicken 5 minutes on each side and remove from heat to rest for 5 minutes.

Place stock in a small bowl and cover. Heat in microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove stock from microwave with oven mitt. Add dried porcini to the dish and replace the cover. Steep porcinis in stock 5 to 10 minutes to reconstitute mushrooms. This may also be done on the stovetop. Simmer broth, and mushrooms for 10 minutes over low heat.

In a medium skillet, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, saute pancetta, crushed garlic and chopped shallot over medium heat for 3 minutes, to crisp pancetta at edges. Add sliced portobello mushrooms to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Saute mushrooms 10 minutes, or until dark and tender. Add flour and cook 1 minute. Add red wine to the pan and reduce by 1/2, about 1 minute. Add reserved stock and porcini mushrooms to the pan and simmer together 1 to 2 minutes longer to combine.

Slice chicken thighs and fan out on a plate. Ladle thick mushroom sauce down over sliced chicken and serve.