This is the "new" veal. Why buy those pre-pounded/tenderized veal cutlets, which are quite pricey, when you can disguise some chicken breasts? The trick with making a great cutlet is in the preparation. That means slicing the boneless chicken breast as thin as you can. Then take those slices onto a cutting board (individually), cover with plastic wrap and pound with a mallet. This will tenderize the meat substantially and thus reduce the time they take to cook. You'll be able to cut them with a fork!
Marsala is a fortified Italian wine from the town of Marsala in Sicily. It's flavor is similar to Port or Sherry. For this recipe you can substitute Sherry, Madeira or even a white wine if that's all you have. Sometimes I'll flavor the cutlets with lemon, but I decided to use up some mushrooms making a Marsala sauce. Delicious!
Chicken Cutlets Marsala
2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced and pounded
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
For the breading mix:
Put the following in three separate pie plates:
1/3 cup egg whites or 1 large egg
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
I usually dredge the chicken in flour first, then the egg and lastly the breadcrumbs. I find it's easier to do all the breading of the chicken and have them on a plate ready to cook. You may have just enough of the flour, egg and breadcrumbs, but if you get low, just add more.
In a large skillet, melt the butter with the oil. On medium heat (when butter starts to sizzle) add the chicken and cook in batches. The cooking time is just a few minutes on each side because you've pounded then so thinly. Put on a large serving plate as they become done.
When finished cooking the cutlets, lower the heat to low and add 1/4 cup Marsala, a large handful of sliced mushrooms and saute for a few minutes. Add a handful of chopped parsley, stir and pour the sauce over the platter of chicken cutlets. Serve immediately.
Serves 4. We always have leftovers (on purpose) which made some great sandwiches the next day!
If you're like me, pork has never been my favorite. I remember growing up in the fifties and sixties (true confession time) during the "canned soup craze". I'm sure every family had an assortment in their pantry ranging from cream of mushroom, beef with barley, tomato, and my personal favorite pepper pot. The resulting finished dinner project was usually a piece of meat oozing with cream of whatever canned soup on top! As sales declined these soup companies came up with new and innovative ways to have you buy their soups. Enter the famous Thanksgiving green bean casserole layered with fried onion rings. You know what I'm talking about. I don't ever remember reading about the pilgrims gathering around the table eating green bean casserole!
So, while pork chops aren't served very often in my house, I will admit these were pretty tasty. The true flavors came through complemented by Fall flavors of apple, onions and mushrooms. Try these; you may like them.
Stuffed Pork Chops
Serves 2
2 pork chops, with bone
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 apple, peeled and diced
3 Tbsp yellow onion, diced
3 button mushrooms, diced
3 Tbsp seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup broth or apple juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small saucepan, heat the oil and butter. Add the garlic, apple, onion, and mushrooms and saute until onion and mushrooms are slightly soft. Add the breadcrumbs and mix well.
Cut a pocket into the meaty side of each pork chop. Get as close to the bone as you can. Stuff the filling into each cavity, pressing in firmly with fingers. Salt and pepper the chops. In an oven proof heated skillet, gently add the chops and brown on one side. Gently (with tongs) flip them over to brown on the other side.
Add half of the apple juice (1/4 cup) to the skillet and place into the oven, covered. After 30 minutes uncover and add the remaining apple juice. Cook for an additional 30 minutes until done.
You could actually cut them with a fork....tender and full of flavor! Enjoy!
My love (Obsession) for Italian food makes a welcome return to my kitchen. Cheesy baked mushrooms was inspired by a recent visit to one of my favorite Italian restaurants, Un Caffe. I have not had a bad meal there, yet, and really don't expect to. Usually, if I experience a tasty meal or appetizer, I'll deconstruct it ingredient by ingredient and attempt to duplicate it at home. The original had a great marinara on it, while mine did not, but the results were pretty good, first time out.
These mushrooms are so large that they can easily be the main course with a side salad and that's what we did.
Cheesy Baked Portobella Mushrooms
Serves 2
2 large Portobella mushrooms, wiped clean and middle stem removed
2 Tbsp of marinara Use your favorite or improvise by using Italian or plain tomato puree diluted with water
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1 oz grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1-2 oz mozzarella cheese, grated
drizzle of olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the mushrooms on both sides with some olive oil and lay them ridge-side up in a baking dish. Brush them with marinara, sprinkle with garlic. Add tomatoes and parsley distributing evenly on each. Add the Parmesan only, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and add the mozzarella on top. Return to the oven, but broil on low until cheese melts on top, for just a few minutes or less. Serve with a salad or on a bed of angel hair pasta!
NOTE: For my second attempt, I'll grill them, perhaps, and add some fresh basil to the mix....enjoy!
Heck yes! Appetizers for dinner is perfectly okay with me. No surprises, though....these "entrees" were already featured in a post. Pan grilled champagne orange shrimp was simply a redo from margarita shrimp using a different marinade. Spring time artichokes...I revised these to be void of butter. Italian stuffed mushrooms completed our meal. These were lightened by making them with panko breadcrumbs and a bit of low fat cream cheese.
Mondays are always a good opportunity for a fresh start after overindulging during the weekend. By overindulging I don't mean devouring a hot fudge sundae or a piece of tiramisu, although that's not a bad idea! Usually it means a glass or 2 of wine. Whoopee!
I'm always surprised as I inspect any restaurant menu how most appetizer selections are either deep fried or laden with salt. I'm sure this isn't a fluke, it's by design. It's a proven fact that those salty heavy foods require you to consume more beverages, usually a high calorie alcoholic one. Vicious cycle, huh? It doesn't have to be with a few tricks and tweaks. Hey, that's a great name for a book!
My point is, food can taste great and be healthy if you use a few tricks during the cooking stage. Use fat free broth to "saute" veggies instead of butter or oils. Use more fresh herbs instead of salt. If you must have cheese and that's a hard one to give up, choose good quality goat or feta cheese sparingly instead of those processed cheese products. If you like salty food, switch to spicy food. At least it may speed up that sluggish metabolism! Learn to make your own marinades and salad dressings. Your body will thank you.
Have a great week....
With each attempt, I find that my pasta making skills are getting better and better. Like anything else, it's a learning process and practice makes perfect! Nothing better than perfect tasting fresh pasta, silky soft ribbons of goodness!
This tagliatelle was an "after thought", that is, some left over dough from lasagna making. I wanted to try out the tagliatelle/fettuccine setting, and this was the result.
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| big ball of pasta |
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| lasagna noodles |
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| nest of tagliatelle |
I used "baby Bella" mushrooms along with a bit of pancetta for a meaty flavor and chopped hazelnuts to add crunch. Even if you're not going to use fresh pasta this dish should be wonderful!
Mushroom Tagliatelle
Serves 4
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped pancetta, measured before cooking
1 shallot, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
5 Bella mushrooms (about 2 inches in diameter), thinly sliced
1 Tbsp butter
1-2 ladles of pasta water
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)
tagliatelle noodles for 4 people. You can buy the "nests". Use about 4-6 units.
In a large (12 ") frying pan add 1 Tbsp of the oil and saute the pancetta. Remove and put onto a paper towel to dry
.
Add the other 1 Tbsp of oil, shallot, garlic and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are slightly limp.
Meanwhile, start the water for pasta bringing it to a boil, then salt it. If you're using fresh pasta it only takes a few minutes to cook, whereas dried will usually takes about 9-11 minutes. Remember to reserve about 2 ladles of pasta water before draining.
Add the pasta to the pan with mushrooms, mixing well. Add the butter and pasta water to make a "sauce", then add the hazelnuts and nutmeg, blend and plate. Garnish with Parmesan if you wish. Mangia!
If I had more thumbs, I would say this was a "three thumbs up" sandwich. And as I plated mine, hubby was already engrossed in his mushroom sandwich. I heard alot of yums and wows coming from his direction. I quickly snapped a picture and hurried to take that first bite. You know it's good when EACH bite is followed by a "yum"!
For a nice change from a burger, try this. It takes less time on the grill and is quite simple to prepare.
Grilled Portabella Mushroom Sandwich
2 servings
For the marinade:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of salt and pepper
***********
2 large Portabella mushrooms
additional 1 Tbsp oil for brushing
Directions:
Clean and cut off the tough stem part of the mushrooms. Place them in a shallow dish, gill side up. Brush the marinade onto the mushroom, and refrigerate for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Heat up the (oiled) grill and place the mushrooms on, gill side down. Cook for 4-5 minutes, brush the cap side with olive oil, turn and cook for about 4 more minutes. Place a slice of provolone cheese on top, let it melt and assemble your sandwich. I used a simple avocado and a vine ripened tomato. Next time I'll switch up the bread and try a French or Dutch crunch roll.
This recipe could easily be doubled or tripled.
We must be entering the "dog days of Summer". Our temperatures have been hovering in the high 90's to over 100 degrees lately. Perhaps another ice cream dinner is in the near future! Or a trip to the foggy, misty coast would suit me fine right about now. My garden, except for the tomatoes are in "shock (survival mode)" and my cat continues to seek out the best cool hiding place in the house. It took me awhile, but I found her in my hubby's walk in closet sitting very princess- like in a dark corner. Smart kitty; I almost joined her!
I admit I get a little lethargic (lazy) in the heat so dinners haven't been too creative. But, simple is good and this portabella quesadilla hit the spot!
Mushroom Quesadilla
Serves 2 hungry lazy adults
2 Portabella mushrooms (4 inch diameter), sliced
1/4 of a large yellow onion, sliced thinly
2 tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 flour tortillas, soft taco size
about 4 oz, jack cheese, grated
guacamole or salsa for garnish
Saute the mushrooms and onions in the butter/olive oil mixture until browned and limp. You can remove these to a plate and use the same pan if you're lazy. Add 1 Tbsp more butter, 1 flour tortilla, 1/4 of the grated cheese, half of the mushroom mixture, another 1/4 of the cheese on top. Close with another tortilla, press down and cook until browned on one side. Carefully flip over and cook on the other side. Repeat the process for the second quesadilla and serve with guacamole and hot sauce or salsa. Ole!
NOTE: If you're watching those calories, you can skip the pan frying and assemble the quesadilla, placing it into the microwave for about a minute or so to melt the cheese.
I have so many friends and family that are great cooks and I look for inspiration from them, always. My intentions are never to copy one's crowning glory, yet to be inspired and then put a little twist to their already beautiful creations. With that said, I was recently inspired by a neighbor's tasty stuffed mushrooms.
I decided to make my version more Italian, having elements like Romano cheese, parsley and, of course, lots of garlic! After tasting these little morsels, I thought, "Why haven't I made these before?". This one is a keeper and probably will be a starter for more dinner parties to come!
Italian Stuffed Mushrooms
This recipe makes about 10-12 and can easily be doubled or tripled, if needed.
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
10-12 button white mushrooms, stemmed (reserve 1/2 of tops, finely chopped)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley, mint, salt and pepper and chopped mushroom stems. Add about 1 1/2 tbsp of the oil and blend. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon the filling into the mushroom caps and arrange on the baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and bake until tender, for about 25 minutes. Serve. You'll love these!
