To Make Chicken Marsala:
4 chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each, but not a big deal if they are a different size)
10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms (I bought mine pre-sliced at TJ's)
1 small diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon parsley
1/2 cup Marsala
1/4 cup Sherry
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup flour
Salt
Pepper
Preheat oven to 250.
Rinse chicken well and pat dry with paper towels. Cut off any visible fat. Flatten chicken with meat pounder, using wax paper over chicken if available.
Put flour on large plate. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in flour, shaking off excess.
Melt butter in large saute pan over medium high heat. Add chicken breasts and brown both sides. Remove from pan, set in oven dish and place in oven to keep warm.
Add olive oil to saute pan. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms, parsley and thyme. Saute until juice from mushrooms has evaporated, stirring to prevent vegetables from burning.
Add Marsala and sherry to saute pan. Let mixture come to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.
Add chicken stock and chicken pieces. Cook at low simmer for 15-20 minutes, then remove chicken pieces and place on a plate.
Add milk to mushroom mixture and let simmer 10-15 minutes until thickened. Add chicken pieces to warm them up before serving.
Plate chicken breasts on 4 plates and scoop mushroom and sauce over meat.l
If you live in, or visit Boston, go to Somerville and eat at Dali Restaurant (Spanish tapas). Their sangria is amazing. No seltzer . Just amazing wine, liqueurs and fruits. Be warned, it does pack a punch. If you are not so fortunate to visit Dali, this recipe is a close second. Ingredients:
1 bottle full-bodied, dry red wine, such as Rioja or a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon
1/2 cup brandy
1/4 cup orange liqueur
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1 thinly sliced apple, seeds removed
1 thinly sliced orange, seeds removed
1 thinly sliced lemon or lime, seeds removed
Other chopped fruit, such as pineapple, strawberries, etc
Combine wine, juices, sugars and liqueurs in large pitcher. Add fruit and mix well. Taste for sweetness and add sugar if needed. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours. Add ice cubes to glasses before serving.
A conversation with my boss (we'll call her "Yulie" to protect her identity) about holiday treats made me realize that I would like to try to create red wine-flavored truffles (I already enjoy both ingredients, this just skips a step..) I set out on an Internet quest, looking for a such a recipe. The results were mostly about infusing red wine with truffle mushrooms (does that even sound good...?) or about BUYING chocolate truffles. Tasting each wine and chocolate before creating a finished product shall require strength and perseverance, but I suspect I'm up for the task. I'm posting below the only recipe found thus far. (I cannot eat hazelnuts thus my test-run will omit them). I'll post as to how these turned out, and then create a new, personalized version.
Merlot Hazelnut Cocoa Truffles
Makes approximately 40 bite-sized truffles with an enticing interplay of flavors.
Ingredients:
2 cups bittersweet chocolate (1 12-oz. bag of chips or 3 4-oz. bars chopped into small pieces)
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup red wine, such as Merlot
3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
½-1 cup cocoa, such as Scharffen Berger or Hershey's Dark
Place chocolate chips or pieces in a medium-sized bowl. In a sauce pan, bring heavy cream and butter to a boil. Immediately pour over chocolate. Stir with a whisk until chocolate has melted and ingredients are fully combined. Whisk in wine, and then hazelnuts.
Let mixture cool at room temperature for 3-4 hours or overnight, covered but not refrigerated. Or chill in the bowl in the refrigerator. Remove it every 5 minutes and stir well. Continue until mixture thickens slightly, 10 to 20 minutes.
Place cocoa in a small shallow pan or dish. Set aside.
Stir mixture well with a spatula. The filling should have a spreadable consistency. Pipe 1-inch ganache rounds with a pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch round tip onto waxed paper, or scoop 1-inch rounds onto the paper with a teaspoon.
With gloves on, shape the filling in the palms of your hands to create a rounder appearance. Place into the pan that contains the cocoa and roll it in cocoa until fully covered.
Remove from the pan with a fork, knocking off any excess cocoa. Place onto a clean tray or plate.
They are best served at room temperature.
Truffles may be refrigerated for up to one week, or kept at room
temperature for up to three days. They will keep in the freezer for up to two months.
