Chicken Cacciatore

The thing about being an untrained home cook...you learn while you go, and every once in awhile you stumble across amazing little gems that you would normally only learn about from years-trained-and-experienced culinary academy faculty.  Like, braising, for example.  After a few years of making this recipe, I came to the realization that what I was doing was actually a recognized technique that involved searing meat at a high heat and then finishing it off in a covered pot in a deliciously seasoned liquid.  I was floored...this recipe came from a social connection, and it taught me a cooking method.  One day, I may go back to culinary school.  Do you think they have cooking courses suited to a computer engineer?  Something that teaches the difference between following a recipe and "cooking"?   
I still have the original handwritten source of this recipe - it was sent by mail to me from a cute couple I met near Venice.  We met on a train--they were excited to meet an American (imagine that) and practice their English.  We exchanged addresses, and eighteen months later I was sending them a small wedding gift.  In their thank you note, Chiara jotted down this recipe, something she said her mother's mother served at her rehearsal dinner.  I have since learned that this recipe is typical of Northern Italy where white wine is used in the sauce versus a red wine like you'd find in Southern Italy.  Pretty cool. 

I've converted the measurements and changed it a tiny bit over the years (like dried oregano instead of fresh, canned tomatoes instead of garden, canned chicken broth).  But, I have kept some things authentic - like NOT dredging the chicken in flour when searing.  I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does.  :) 

Ingredients
1 hen, cut into 8 pieces (about 3-4lbs)
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 box mushrooms, chopped
1/2 c dry white wine (you can substitute chicken broth)
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes
1/2 c chicken broth
1 t dried oregano
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions
Rinse chicken pieces; pat dry.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and brown the chicken pieces well on both sides.  Remove chicken.  Add mushrooms, onions and celery to pan drippings.  Saute until soft, about 5minutes.  Add garlic and cook 2min more.  Add chicken back to the pot and add white wine.  Cook on medium heat until it has almost completely evaporated.  Add in chopped tomatoes, broth and seasonings.  Simmer covered for 30minutes.  To thicken the sauce, remove the chicken and add a a cornstarch-water mixture.  Bring to a boil, cook until reduced.  Serve over pasta. 

** Here's the link to my personal recipe:  http://allrecipes.com/personalrecipe/63545263/chicken-cacciatore/detail.aspx

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Butternut Squash for a Late Summer Saturday Evening

We are butternut squash fanatics.  If there is one thing to love about the end of summer, it's seeing these beige beauties ripen on the vine in the garden, or stacked in the produce section in huge crates like the pumpkins that have come early.  I love them, and will take them any way - steamed, mashed, in souffles, as part of risotto, creamed into soups, or pureed for a pasta filling.  It's absolutely worth the work cutting through the hard shell...the fleshy inside is sweet, and when cooked becomes soft, rich, caramelized and substantial. It pairs nicely with butter and spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, anise, ginger, cumin, nutmeg, paprika, sage...the list goes on (as I'm discovering)...it depends on whether you are looking for sweet or savory.  Either way, the flavor will be bold.  I've served it as a main course, a side dish, and as a dessert.  Fantastic vegetable.  <3  Here are a few of my favorite recipes: 

This is actually a soup that I found thick enough to serve over pasta...my son had some friends over and they ate this for lunch...BOYS even!!!   





 Butternut Squash Soup





I made another soup this evening...the recipe really surprised me as the flavor changed intensely at each step...love the addition of bacon on top when serving, which completely balanced the honey in the recipe.

Caramelized Butternut Squash Soup 

And, my favorite recipe of all, the Butternut Squash Souffle, which was one of the first foods I have ever blogged about. 

I wasn't properly introduced to the butternut until a few years ago...didn't even know what it was until I had been in this country for probably 10 years.  This squash and I have some catching up to do!!!  Enjoy!

Sitting Down to a Meal of Garden Fresh Veggies and Grilled Chicken Sausage

Mmmm... Summer... Saute.  Wait...garden vegetable saute!  Add some sausage, in particular chicken sausage, and you've got one of the tastiest dinners calling your family to the table.  And it was so simple!!

As an Allrecipes Brand Ambassador, one of our September assignments is to try a few of Al Fresco's All Natural Chicken Sausage recipes found on Allrecipes.com.  I chose the Garlic Chicken Sausage and Summer Vegetable Saute for tonight's dinner because I had a few bell peppers and a couple of zucchini left from this weekend's garden picking.  Plus, we had piano lessons tonight and not a lot of time to prepare a big home cooked meal. 

I put the chicken sausage links and zucchini on the grill, and started the onions in my wok a few minutes later.  After the sausage links had browned up nicely, I brought them inside to slice diagonally and add to the onions.  We are big fans of tofu, so I cubed some up and added to the saute.  Tofu takes on the flavor of whatever it is cooked with, so I knew it would not only extend the well-mixed flavors, but also add a texture to replace the mushrooms, which we are not fond of.  I added the peppers to the stir fry last to keep them crisp and crunchy.  And, finally, I served the dish with the grilled zukes sliced up chunky-like and added to the side.

What an awesome celebration of seasonal bounty...grateful for yet another amazing recipe from Allrecipes.com.  And, of course, thank you, Al Fresco!!

Lemon Bars (or Squares, depending on how you cut them) :)

Chicken Tortilla Soup for a Below-Freeeezing Day

It was a blustery day in this thin-aired part of Colorado...a dusting of snow turned into a few inches, and we kept ourselves bundled up at home, enjoying the fireplace, some wassail, a couple of board games, and this wonderful soup. 

Ingredients
1 hen
1 32oz can whole, peeled tomatoes
1 10oz can enchilada sauce (green)
1 onion, chopped
1 4oz can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 c chicken broth
1 14.5oz can chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 10oz pkg frozen corn
1 T chopped cilantro
Corn tortillas
Veg. oil

Directions:
Place hen, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles and garlic into a slow cooker.  Pour in chicken broth, and season w/cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.  Stir in corn and cilantro.  Cover, cook on Low for 12hours.  At this point, I usually let the entire slow cooker pot cool, then I place the removable pot into the refrigerator overnight.  The next morning I take out the hen and shred the chicken.  I pour the entire contents into a regular pot for the stovetop, along with the shredded chicken, and I reheat on the stove.  The extra day makes the soup flavors blend even more, and allows the hen to cool down enough to handle.

For tortillas:  Preheat oven to 400F, lightly brush both sides of tortillas w/oil.  Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.  Bake in oven until crisp, about 10-15min.

(*Note - original recipe found on www.allrecipes.com.)