Category: Entrees

Chicken Marsala with Pancetta & Cream

Servings: 2
Source: Fine Cooking Dec 2000/Jan 2001 last page
Chicken Marsala-a classic chicken cutlet preparation- is a main dish that’s ready literally in minutes. And while I’ve always liked chicken Marsala well enough — the cutlets get coated lightly with flour, sautéed, and the pan is deglazed with Marsala wine to make a sauce — it sometimes feels a little too one-dimensional. To jazz up this classic dish, I’ve added pancetta and a little cream. Both are quick additions, but they result in a richer, more deeply flavored dish.

You can buy packaged skinless, boneless chicken breasts that are already sliced very thin. If you don’t see any in the butcher’s case, ask the butcher to slice the chicken breasts for you. I often ask at supermarkets, and it’s never been a problem. (Of course, you can slice the chicken breasts yourself, but it will take you a few minutes.)

Pancetta is Italian bacon that, unlike American bacon, is not smoked. You used to have to go to an Italian deli or a specialty food store to find pancetta, but now it’s available in most supermarket delis. If you don’t see it, ask for it. I like to buy a thick slice and dice it myself, but sometimes you’ll find already packaged pancetta sliced very thin. That will work fine, too, and it will cook even faster.
After frying the pancetta, reserve the fat to cook the chicken breasts in — another flavor boost. And don’t forget to season the chicken before you flour it. Because the pancetta adds its own salty flavor, go light on the salt, but use ample freshly ground black pepper.

For the quickest dinner, serve the chicken with sautéed spinach and crusty bread. It’s also great with mashed potatoes and green beans blanched and then sautéed until browned in spots.

You can buy thin cutlets or ask your supermarket butcher to cut some for you. This recipe is easily doubled, but you’ll likely need to cook the chicken in batches.

Ingredients
Olive oil
2 oz. pancetta (about a ¼-inch thick slice), cut into a ¼-inch dice
Flour for dredging (about ½ cup)
4 thin chicken breast cutlets, about ½ lb. total
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper, preferably on the coarse side
½ cup dry Marsala wine
2 to 4 Tbs. heavy cream
Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Directions
Coat a large skillet lightly with olive oil and set it over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until just crisp and lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon – leave the fat in the pan – and set aside.

Put the flour on a plate. Pat the cutlets dry. Season them on both sides lightly with salt and amply with pepper. Heat the skillet with the pancetta fat over medium high. Add more olive oil, if needed, to get about 2 Tbs. fat in the pan.

When the fat is hot, dredge a cutlet through the flour on both sides. Shake off the excess flour and immediately put the cutlet in the pan. Do the same with as many cutlets as will fit in the pan without touching. Sauté the cutlets, turning once, until browned on both sides; if thin, they should cook through in just a few minutes total. Transfer the cooked cutlets to a plate and continue sautéing the rest, adding more oil if necessary. Transfer these to the plate as well.
Pour off the excess fat. With the pan over medium-high heat, add the Marsala and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the Marsala is reduced by about a quarter. Stir in the cream and boil until you get a nicely thickened sauce. Return the chicken and pancetta to the pan and turn the cutlets over to coat. Let them reheat for 30 seconds to 1 min. Serve with the sauce and a sprinkling of parsley, if you like.

Chicken Alla Cacciatora

Servings: 4
Source: The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan
recipeNotes: If prepared ahead of time, let the chicken cool in its sauce. When reheating, simmer very slowly, covered, for a few minutes, just until the chicken is hot.

Ingredients
Frying chicken (2 ½ to 3 lb), cut into 4 to 6 pieces
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour, spread on a dinner plate or on waxed paper salt
Freshly ground pepper, 4 to 6 twists of the mill
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
1 green pepper, with seeds removed, cut into thin strips
1 med carrot, sliced very thin
½ stalk celery, cut into thin strips
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped very fine
2/3 cup canned Italian tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with their juice

(Note, I usually put more veges in)

Directions
1. Wash the chicken pieces in cold running water and pat dry very thoroughly with paper towels.

2. Choose a skillet large enough to contain all the chicken pieces comfortably, without crowding. Heat the oil in the skillet over moderately high heat. Turn the chicken pieces in the flour, coating both sides and shaking off the excess, and put in the skillet, skin side down. When one side has turned golden brown, turn the pieces over and brown the other side. When nicely browned on all sides, transfer them to a warm platter and add salt and pepper.

3. Tip the skillet and draw off most of the fat with a spoon. Turn the heat to high, add the wine, and boil rapidly until it is reduced by half. Scrape up and loosen any cooking residue in the pan. Lower the heat to medium, add the sliced onion, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring two or three times- Add the browned chicken pieces, -II but the breasts. (Breasts cook faster, so they can be added later.) Add the sliced pepper, carrot, celery, garlic, and the chopped tomatoes and their juice. Adjust to a slow simmer and cover. After 9 to 10 minutes add the breasts and continue cooking until tender, about 30 minutes. Turn and baste the chicken a few times while cooking.

4. Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter. If the sauce in the pan is too thin, raise the heat to high and boil it briskly until it thickens, stirring as it boils. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

Chiang Mai Curry Noodles

Servings: 4
Khao Soi-NORTHERN THAILAND

We’re told by friends in Chiang Mai, Thailand’s northern capital (see Chiang Mai, page 122), that this noodle dish is originally from the Shan State of Burma; others say it came with Muslim traders from Yunnan. Whatever the story, khao soi is now known as a Chiang Mai specialty. It’s an easy-to-make, very rich and delicious one-dish meal.

The broth that bathes the noodles is flavored with a little curry paste, turmeric, and garlic and is smooth and thick with coconut milk. Traditionally khao soi is made, as it is here, with beef; you can also make it with chicken.

The recipe calls for Chinese egg noodles, available from most Chinese groceries. They come in one-pound packages and are about lingaine width and pale yellow. The cooked noodles are placed in large individual bowls and the curry sauce is poured over them when the dish is served. Khao soi is usually topped with a small nest of crispy noodles, egg noodles that have been briefly deep-fried; they add a delightful contrasting texture. There is a small array of condiments traditionally served with khao soi; don’t worry if you don’t have pickled cabbage.

Ingredients
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled
1″” piece fresh turmeric, minced, or 1 tsp ground turmeric
I tsp salt, plus a pinch
1 Tbsp Red Curry Paste (page 210 or store-bought)
1 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
3 cup canned or fresh coconut milk (see page 315), with ½ cup of the thickest milk set aside
½ lb boneless flavorful beef (sirloin tip or trimmed stewing beef), cut into ½”” chunks
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup water
3 Tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Peanut oil for deep-frying noodles (optional)
1 lb Chinese egg noodles (bamee)

TOPPINGS AND CONDIMENTS
Fried noodle nests (optional; see below)
½ cup coarsely chopped shallots
½ cup minced scallions
½ cup Pickled Cabbage, Thai Style (page 311 or store-bought)
1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions
Place the garlic in a mortar with the turmeric and the pinch of salt and pound to a paste. Alternatively, finely mince the garlic and whole turmeric, if using, and place the garlic and turmeric in a small bowl with the pinch of salt. Stir in the red curry paste and set aside.

Place a large heavy pot or wok over high heat. Add the 1 tablespoon oil and, when it is hot, toss in the curry paste mixture. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the reserved ½ cup thick coconut milk and lower the heat to medium- high. Add the meat and sugar and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, until the meat has changed color all over. Add the remaining 2½ cups coconut milk, the water, fish sauce, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook at a strong simmer for about i o minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. (The soup can be prepared up to an hour ahead, then reheated just before serving.)

Meanwhile, make the optional crispy noodles: Place a plate lined with several layers of paper towels by your stove. Place a large wok or heavy pot over high heat and add about 1 cup peanut oil, or 1/2 inch oil. When the oil is hot, drop in a strand of uncooked noodle to test the temperature. It should sizzle slightly as it falls to the bottom, then immediately puff and rise to the surface; adjust the heat slightly, if necessary. Toss a handful (about 1 cup) of noodles into the oil and watch as they puff up. Use a spatula or long tongs to turn them over and expose all of them to the hot oil. They will crisp up very quickly, in less than 1 minute. Lift the crisped noodles out of the oil and place on the paper towel-lined plate. Give the oil a moment to come back to temperature, and then repeat with a second handful of noodles. (The noodles can be fried ahead and left standing for several hours.)

To serve, bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil over high heat. Drop in the remaining noodles (or all noodles, if you didn’t make crispy noodles), bring back to a boil, and cook until tender but not mushy, about 6 minutes. Drain well.

Divide the drained noodles among four large bowls. Ladle over the broth and meat. Top with crispy noodles, if you have them, and a pinch each of shallots and scallions. Serve with the remaining condiments set out in small bowls so guests can garnish their soup as they wish. Provide each guest with chopsticks and a large spoon.

Carol and Norman’s Marinated Flank Steak

Servings: —

Ingredients
2 1/2 lb of flank steak–(I double the amount of meat and half again the marinade)

For the Marinade–
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp thyme
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp oriental chili sauce
1/4 cup teriyake sauce
For the Salad–
11/2 lb onions, julienned
3 lb of red, yellow, and some green peppers julienned ( I don’t use much green)
11/2 lb new red potatoes, halved lengthwise and sliced widthwise to 1/4 inch thickness
1 Tbsp rosemary
1 Tbsp salt
3/4 Tbsp pepper

For the Dressing–( I use about half of the dressing recipe that they call for_)
1/2 cup soy oil
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp rosemary
3/4 Tbsp minced garlic)

Directions
Trim flank steak, and cut across the grain into 4 inch wide pieces. Combine marinade ingredients and add flank steak, turning to coat well. Refrigerate overnight.

Spread onions, and peppers in a shallow pan in one layer (you will have to do several pans). Spread potatoes in another shallow pan in one layer ( again, more than one). Sprinkle rosemary, salt, and pepper over all. Put pans in a 400° oven. Remove onions and peppers after 15 minutes, potatoes after 20 minutes. Cool.

In a hot ungreased frying pan, cook flank steak).

Slice it diagonally against grain, 1/4 inch thick. ( We have grilled the steak instead of frying–either is fine).

Combine steak and vegetables.

Mix ingredients for the dressing. Pour and serve at room temperature.

Calabrese Pork Ragu with Fennel

Servings: 8
Source: Oct/Nov 2000 Fine Cooking
Pancetta, cured Italian bacon, is becoming available at many supermarkets; you’ll also find it at specialty stores and in Italian markets. Yields 8 cups of sauce, enough for about 1 lb. pasta; serves eight.

Ingredients
3 lb pork butt or shoulder (from about a 7 lb bone-in shoulder) or 3 lb packaged ground pork
1 lg yellow onion, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 oz pancetta, finely chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 Tbsp whole fennel seeds, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 cup dry white wine
2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
¾ cup tomato paste
1½ to 2 cup water
Unsalted butter,
½ Tbsp per serving; more to taste
1 lb pasta, cooked at dente
Freshly grated Parmesan (optional)

Directions
If using pork shoulder or butt, cut off any skin and discard, and then cut the meat off the bone into chunks about 1 inch or so. In a food processor, pulse the pork in batches, about five times for a few seconds each time; set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until browned, 12 to 15 min. Add the garlic and crushed fennel and stir for about 2 min. Transfer to a large bowl.

Increase the heat to medium high. In the same pot, add just enough of the ground pork to make one layer. If using packaged ground meat, don’t crumble it; instead, break it into pieces (about 1 inch) to brown. Season with salt and pepper. Brown the meat all over, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 min. Transfer the first batch of meat to the bowl and sear the remaining pork in batches, if necessary; add more olive oil as needed.

Return all the seared pork and the onion mixture to the pot. Add the sugar, oregano, bay leaf, red pepper, 2 tsp salt, and 1 ½ tsp pepper, and stir to combine. Pour in the wine to degiaze the pot, stirring up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let the wine reduce by at least half. Add the tomato purée and tomato paste and bring the sauce to a boil (the mixture will be thick).

Add ½ cup of the water, reduce the heat, and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionsly, for 1½ to 2 hours. As it cooks, juices will evaporate; add the remaining water periodically, letting it reduce after each addition, to total 1½ to 2 cups. After 1½ hours, the meat should be tender and the flavors melded. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Immediately before serving, whisk ½ Tbsp butter per serving into the sauce and toss with the pasta. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan, if you like.

Black Bean Tart with Chili Crust

Servings: —
Preheat: 350°
Source: Gourmet January 1996

Ingredients
For crust
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) chilled unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 Tbsp ice water
raw rice for weighting shell
For filling
1/2 lb dried black beans, picked over, or 3 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
1 med red onion, chopped
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
a 10 oz pkg frozen corn, thawed
1 red bell pepper, chopped (ab 1 cup)
1/2 cup fresh coriander sprigs, washed well, spun dry, and chopped
1 1/2 cup coarsely grated Monterey Jack (ab 6 ounces)
2 fresh jalapeño chilies, seeded and chopped fine (wear rubber gloves)
1/2 cup chopped scallions (ab 2)
For lime sour cream:
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp fresh lime juice, or to taste

Directions
Make crust: In a bowl with a pastry blender or in a food processor blend or pulse together flour, spices, and salt until combined well. Add butter and blend or pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water and blend or pulse until incorporated and mixture forms a dough. Press dough evenly onto bottom and sides of a 10-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim and chill 15 minutes, or until firm. Line shell with foil and fill with rice. Bake shell in middle of oven until edge is set, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil and rice and bake crust 10 minutes more, or until golden. Cool crust in pan on a rack. Crust may be made 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature, covered loosely with plastic wrap.

Make filling: In a bowl soak dried beans if using in water to cover by 2 inches overnight and drain. In a large saucepan combine soaked beans, bay leaf, onion, and water to cover by 2 inches and simmer, uncovered, 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until tender, adding more water if necessary. Drain beans, discarding bay leaf, and cool. In a food processor purée 1 cup cooked or canned beans with sour cream until smooth and season with salt and pepper. In a skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté corn with salt and pepper to taste, stirring, about 2 minutes. Cool corn. In a large bowl stir together corn, whole beans, bell pepper, coriander, Monterey Jack, jalapeños, and scallions and season with salt and pepper. Spread bean purée evenly onto crust and mound with remaining filling, pressing gently. Bake tart in middle of oven about 20 minutes, or until hot and cheese is melted. Let tart cool in pan on a rack 15 minutes. Remove rim of pan and serve tart warm or at room temperature with lime sour cream.

Make lime sour cream: In a bowl whisk sour cream and lime juice with salt and pepper to taste. Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Makes about 1 cup.