Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Crostini featuring Olivari Olive Oil

 
A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a representative for Olivari Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  I was asked to try it out and post what I think here on my blog.  I want you all to know that if I receive something and try it and do not like it I will not post it here.  Same way I don't post recipes that I don't think turned out so well..it just seems pointless.  (I have not received any monetary compensation for this review just the product to try out.) I was sent a bottle of Olivari Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a garlic press.  This was really cool because I don't own a garlic press!  I really liked the bottle itself because it comes with a pour spout.  That makes it so much easier since I always pour my oil into pourable bottles.  When you put the cap back on the bottle the spout moves down so you can easily close the top.  The extra virgin olive oil was good and fruity and I have been cooking with it all week.  Here is a recipe that I thought would be great since it contains a lot of olive oil - sort of like a pesto.

The recipe comes from Giada and I really like it once it came together. I was a little put off at first because of the lack of color and texture.  It's actually my fault though.   I wish I had a bigger food processor because it would have been easier to keep this chunky like the recipe stated.  Since mine was too small the mixture had nowhere to go and completely pureed.  My only issue with that is the way it looks, I think it will look prettier if kept chunky.  Somehow I missed that this recipe called for basil and I only had frozen basil.  That didn't quite work in the food processor so I added some fresh parsley and a chopped tomato for some color and texture. I also added a clove of pressed garlic which was a great addition. The crispy prosciutto really helped the appearance and gave it a nice salty bite.  (I used parchment paper and didn't use the cooking spray and there was plenty of oil.)  My family gobbled these little crostini up very quickly and enjoyed every bite!

Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Crostini
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

Vegetable cooking spray
4 very thin slices prosciutto
1 baguette, sliced into 1 inch slices
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 (12-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
salt and pepper to taste, for sprinkling on the bread

Directions:

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable cooking spray (or use parchment paper to prevent sticking.)

Lay the prosciutto in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until crispy. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

On another baking sheet, arrange the bread slices in a single layer. Drizzle the bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the artichoke hearts, beans, cheese, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, 2 tsp salt, and pepper. Pulse until the mixture is chunky. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil. Pour into a bowl and mix in chopped parsley and tomato.  Spoon the artichoke mixture onto the crostini. Crumble the prosciutto and sprinkle on top. Drizzle with oil (if desired) and serve.

Note - This made at least 2 cups of the topping.  I used a whole baguette and still had plenty more left over for another day. 

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Thank you to Oliveri Olive Oil for providing me with the oil to make this recipe!

Another way to enjoy the olive oil is to pour some in a small dipping bowl and add salt, pepper and a little crushed red pepper flake to it and use it for dipping your bread in (instead of butter).  It's delicious!

Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Crostini featuring Olivari Olive Oil

 
A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a representative for Olivari Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  I was asked to try it out and post what I think here on my blog.  I want you all to know that if I receive something and try it and do not like it I will not post it here.  Same way I don't post recipes that I don't think turned out so well..it just seems pointless.  (I have not received any monetary compensation for this review just the product to try out.) I was sent a bottle of Olivari Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a garlic press.  This was really cool because I don't own a garlic press!  I really liked the bottle itself because it comes with a pour spout.  That makes it so much easier since I always pour my oil into pourable bottles.  When you put the cap back on the bottle the spout moves down so you can easily close the top.  The extra virgin olive oil was good and fruity and I have been cooking with it all week.  Here is a recipe that I thought would be great since it contains a lot of olive oil - sort of like a pesto.

The recipe comes from Giada and I really like it once it came together. I was a little put off at first because of the lack of color and texture.  It's actually my fault though.   I wish I had a bigger food processor because it would have been easier to keep this chunky like the recipe stated.  Since mine was too small the mixture had nowhere to go and completely pureed.  My only issue with that is the way it looks, I think it will look prettier if kept chunky.  Somehow I missed that this recipe called for basil and I only had frozen basil.  That didn't quite work in the food processor so I added some fresh parsley and a chopped tomato for some color and texture. I also added a clove of pressed garlic which was a great addition. The crispy prosciutto really helped the appearance and gave it a nice salty bite.  (I used parchment paper and didn't use the cooking spray and there was plenty of oil.)  My family gobbled these little crostini up very quickly and enjoyed every bite!

Artichoke and Cannellini Bean Crostini
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

Vegetable cooking spray
4 very thin slices prosciutto
1 baguette, sliced into 1 inch slices
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 (12-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
salt and pepper to taste, for sprinkling on the bread

Directions:

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable cooking spray (or use parchment paper to prevent sticking.)

Lay the prosciutto in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until crispy. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

On another baking sheet, arrange the bread slices in a single layer. Drizzle the bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the artichoke hearts, beans, cheese, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, 2 tsp salt, and pepper. Pulse until the mixture is chunky. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil. Pour into a bowl and mix in chopped parsley and tomato.  Spoon the artichoke mixture onto the crostini. Crumble the prosciutto and sprinkle on top. Drizzle with oil (if desired) and serve.

Note - This made at least 2 cups of the topping.  I used a whole baguette and still had plenty more left over for another day. 

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Thank you to Oliveri Olive Oil for providing me with the oil to make this recipe!

Another way to enjoy the olive oil is to pour some in a small dipping bowl and add salt, pepper and a little crushed red pepper flake to it and use it for dipping your bread in (instead of butter).  It's delicious!

Chicken Tetrazzini

I've seen recipes for chicken tetrazzini and turkey tetrazzini all over the internet over the past few years but I never felt the need to give it a try.  It's not one of those recipes I grew up with and I only heard of it from blogs and the food network.  Knowing that I had some leftover shredded chicken to use up it occured to me to give this dish a shot.  After the inital shock of all the butter, milk and cream in this dish I thought I'd go ahead with some adjustments.

I used only 4 tbsp of butter (the recipe called for 9!!!), only 2 cups of milk, no cream and about 2 - 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock.  It actually worked excpet leftovers are a little too try for my liking.  I'm sure if I loaded up on all that creamy goodness it would have been fine.  I added about a cup of chopped artichoke hearts which I thought was great!  I'd love to make something like this with more artichoke hearts - Yum! One thing I cannot understand about this recipe.  Why is this made with a long pasta instead of something short like penne, rigatoni, ziti?  I think I would have been happier with that.  Steve kept trying to twirl it (probably to make me crazy) but it's baked, it's supposed to be compact which is NOT twirlable my dear!!!  :-)

I am going to post the original recipe and you decide if you want to incorporate my changes above.  If you do make the full fat version I'd like to know if it made a difference with your leftovers.  Take a look at this recipe from Giada.

Chicken Tetrazzini

by Giada De Lauretiis

Ingredients:

9 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1 cup chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

12 ounces linguine
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

Chicken Tetrazzini

I've seen recipes for chicken tetrazzini and turkey tetrazzini all over the internet over the past few years but I never felt the need to give it a try.  It's not one of those recipes I grew up with and I only heard of it from blogs and the food network.  Knowing that I had some leftover shredded chicken to use up it occured to me to give this dish a shot.  After the inital shock of all the butter, milk and cream in this dish I thought I'd go ahead with some adjustments.

I used only 4 tbsp of butter (the recipe called for 9!!!), only 2 cups of milk, no cream and about 2 - 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock.  It actually worked excpet leftovers are a little too try for my liking.  I'm sure if I loaded up on all that creamy goodness it would have been fine.  I added about a cup of chopped artichoke hearts which I thought was great!  I'd love to make something like this with more artichoke hearts - Yum! One thing I cannot understand about this recipe.  Why is this made with a long pasta instead of something short like penne, rigatoni, ziti?  I think I would have been happier with that.  Steve kept trying to twirl it (probably to make me crazy) but it's baked, it's supposed to be compact which is NOT twirlable my dear!!!  :-)

I am going to post the original recipe and you decide if you want to incorporate my changes above.  If you do make the full fat version I'd like to know if it made a difference with your leftovers.  Take a look at this recipe from Giada.

Chicken Tetrazzini

by Giada De Lauretiis

Ingredients:

9 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1 cup chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

12 ounces linguine
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook until pale golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Coarsely shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and into a large bowl.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan. Add the mushrooms and saute over medium-high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

Melt 3 more tablespoons butter in the same pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Increase the heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Drain. Add the linguine, sauce, peas, and parsley to the chicken mixture. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Stir the cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes.

Roasted Chicken with Artichokes and Tomatoes

Last month when I roasted chicken breasts for Ina Garten's Chicken Salad, I told myself that I should use this method more often for more dishes. The chicken breasts were so incredibly moist and delicious and the seasoning was so simple, just salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Last night I decided to make the chicken again and make a sauce to go on top. After digging around my fridge and pantry I came up with an amazing sauce. I served the chicken on top of couscous and with a side of broccoli rabe. The sauce gave the couscous tons of flavor.  After cooking I removed the skin from the chicken because Steve won't eat it anyway and when he picks something out and puts it to the side it sort of makes me a little crazy (shhh!) so I took it off myself.  It doesn't look as pretty as it would with crispy brown skin but we do what we have to for the ones we love (and our sanity). 

Ingredients:

2 split chicken breasts, cleaned and trimmed of excess fat
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil
1 small jar of marinated artichokes, drained
1 tablespoon capers
1 cube frozen Dorat basil (from Trader Joe's)
3 cloves garlic, cracked, skin removed
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
dry white wine
splash of white balsamic vinegar
chicken broth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken on hide sided cookie sheet (jelly roll pan) and rub both sides with oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes. Add white wine and chicken broth to the pan. Not enough to cover the whole pan but enough to created a sauce with the drippings. Cook for 10 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through (depends on the size of the chicken breasts). Remove pan from the oven and remove the skin (unless you plan on eating the skin, then keep it on.)

2. In a cast iron skillet add grape tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, capers, garlic, drizzle of oil and splash of vinegar. Cook in the oven while the chicken is cooking. When you add wine and broth to the chicken also add some to the tomato artichoke mixture along with the basil. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes.

3. If you chose to remove the skin or not you may want a little more color on the chicken or to crisp the skin. Remove chicken from the pan and nestle it into the tomato artichoke mixture and add whatever juice is in the pan. Put the skillet under the broiler until chicken reaches desired color or skin is crispy.

Serve chicken with tomato artichoke mixture spooned over it.

Enjoy!

Click here for a printable recipe of Chicken with Artichokes and Tomatoes.

Roasted Chicken with Artichokes and Tomatoes

Last month when I roasted chicken breasts for Ina Garten's Chicken Salad, I told myself that I should use this method more often for more dishes. The chicken breasts were so incredibly moist and delicious and the seasoning was so simple, just salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Last night I decided to make the chicken again and make a sauce to go on top. After digging around my fridge and pantry I came up with an amazing sauce. I served the chicken on top of couscous and with a side of broccoli rabe. The sauce gave the couscous tons of flavor.  After cooking I removed the skin from the chicken because Steve won't eat it anyway and when he picks something out and puts it to the side it sort of makes me a little crazy (shhh!) so I took it off myself.  It doesn't look as pretty as it would with crispy brown skin but we do what we have to for the ones we love (and our sanity). 

Ingredients:

2 split chicken breasts, cleaned and trimmed of excess fat
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil
1 small jar of marinated artichokes, drained
1 tablespoon capers
1 cube frozen Dorat basil (from Trader Joe's)
3 cloves garlic, cracked, skin removed
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
dry white wine
splash of white balsamic vinegar
chicken broth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken on hide sided cookie sheet (jelly roll pan) and rub both sides with oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes. Add white wine and chicken broth to the pan. Not enough to cover the whole pan but enough to created a sauce with the drippings. Cook for 10 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through (depends on the size of the chicken breasts). Remove pan from the oven and remove the skin (unless you plan on eating the skin, then keep it on.)

2. In a cast iron skillet add grape tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, capers, garlic, drizzle of oil and splash of vinegar. Cook in the oven while the chicken is cooking. When you add wine and broth to the chicken also add some to the tomato artichoke mixture along with the basil. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes.

3. If you chose to remove the skin or not you may want a little more color on the chicken or to crisp the skin. Remove chicken from the pan and nestle it into the tomato artichoke mixture and add whatever juice is in the pan. Put the skillet under the broiler until chicken reaches desired color or skin is crispy.

Serve chicken with tomato artichoke mixture spooned over it.

Enjoy!

Click here for a printable recipe of Chicken with Artichokes and Tomatoes.

Turn your leftovers into an Amazing Bistro Salad!

How much have you paid for a salad at a cafe or bistro? Not your boring side salad but a gourmet salad with all the best ingredients? Maybe some chicken, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella? Maybe toasted walnuts and feta, grapes and heirloom tomatoes? You can pay anywhere between $8 and $15 for a loaded salad like that. If you make it out of your leftovers it can cost you nothing at all. Use your imagination and look through your fridge and pantry and see what you can come up with.

I had leftover chicken cutlets that I sliced, some boiled cellantani/cavatappi pasta (that didn't have any sauce on it), farmer's market tomatoes, kalamata olives, fresh mozzarella, red onion, artichoke hearts with stems (from trader joe's) and a great salad mix. This was a fabulous salad and I can think of so many ways to mix it up. Items that I already have on hand, roasted peppers, salami or ham slices, chick peas or kidney beans, cheddar cheese. I can go on and on! Your options are really endless.

Next time you think about throwing away your leftovers try to put them together in a way that will make a new and exciting salad!

Turn your leftovers into an Amazing Bistro Salad!

How much have you paid for a salad at a cafe or bistro? Not your boring side salad but a gourmet salad with all the best ingredients? Maybe some chicken, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella? Maybe toasted walnuts and feta, grapes and heirloom tomatoes? You can pay anywhere between $8 and $15 for a loaded salad like that. If you make it out of your leftovers it can cost you nothing at all. Use your imagination and look through your fridge and pantry and see what you can come up with.

I had leftover chicken cutlets that I sliced, some boiled cellantani/cavatappi pasta (that didn't have any sauce on it), farmer's market tomatoes, kalamata olives, fresh mozzarella, red onion, artichoke hearts with stems (from trader joe's) and a great salad mix. This was a fabulous salad and I can think of so many ways to mix it up. Items that I already have on hand, roasted peppers, salami or ham slices, chick peas or kidney beans, cheddar cheese. I can go on and on! Your options are really endless.

Next time you think about throwing away your leftovers try to put them together in a way that will make a new and exciting salad!

Pasta with Chicken and Zucchini

Today was one of those days when I had no idea what to do with the two chicken breasts I defrosted for dinner. There is work being done outside our condo so it's a pain to get to the grill right now and it's been so hot that I didn't want to turn on the oven. After a quick peek in my fridge, freezer and pantry I came up with this. It's so simple that I wondered if it was blog worthy. It's basically a chicken and veggie saute served over pasta. Not that impressive but very delicious. If you notice in the photo there are two different types of pasta there. I had a little bit of penne in an open box and a little gemelli in another. So I used the cooking times on the back of the box. I threw the gemelli in first and then a minute or so later added in the penne. It was fine that way and I've done it before. If you just put it in at the same time you may end up with some pasta that's over cooked or some pasta that's not cooked enough. Different shapes have different cooking times.

If you don't like zucchini or artichoke hearts substitute them with something else. Cannelini beans would be great here, chick peas, eggplant too. Use your favorite combo or try something new!



Chicken with Zucchini and Artichoke Hearts

Ingredients:

1 pound of short pasta, penne, ziti, rigatoni, etc.
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium zucchini, quaretered lenthwise and then cut into chunks
10 frozen artichoke hearts
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
handful of frozen peas
handful of fresh basil, torn
handful of kalamata olives
1/2 cup white wine
1 Tbsp tomato paste
chicken broth
extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder, saute in mixture of butter and a little oil until brown. Remove and set aside. Add in a little more oil if your pan is dry and saute onion in olive oil, add zucchini and leave it a lone for a minute until it browns a little, add garlic and let cook for a minute or so and then add artichoke hearts. They won't really brown but will soften. (*See Note) Add tomato paste and stir, let it cook for a minute. Deglaze pan with wine and scrape up any browned bits that stuck to the pan. When liquid reduces add chicken broth a little at a time to get the consistency of sauce you want. Add kalamata olives, salt and pepper and let cook for about 20 minutes. Add cooked chicken and peas to the pan and stir. Chicken is already cooked so just let it simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

While sauce is cooking, boil water for pasta, season well with salt. When sauce is almost ready drop the pasta. When pasta is al dente toss with sauce and serve.

*note - I used some fresh tomatoes but they weren't ripe enough and didn't do anything for the dish so I didn't put it in the recipe. However, if you have beautiful ripe plum tomatoes you could add them here.

Pasta with Chicken and Zucchini

Today was one of those days when I had no idea what to do with the two chicken breasts I defrosted for dinner. There is work being done outside our condo so it's a pain to get to the grill right now and it's been so hot that I didn't want to turn on the oven. After a quick peek in my fridge, freezer and pantry I came up with this. It's so simple that I wondered if it was blog worthy. It's basically a chicken and veggie saute served over pasta. Not that impressive but very delicious. If you notice in the photo there are two different types of pasta there. I had a little bit of penne in an open box and a little gemelli in another. So I used the cooking times on the back of the box. I threw the gemelli in first and then a minute or so later added in the penne. It was fine that way and I've done it before. If you just put it in at the same time you may end up with some pasta that's over cooked or some pasta that's not cooked enough. Different shapes have different cooking times.

If you don't like zucchini or artichoke hearts substitute them with something else. Cannelini beans would be great here, chick peas, eggplant too. Use your favorite combo or try something new!



Chicken with Zucchini and Artichoke Hearts

Ingredients:

1 pound of short pasta, penne, ziti, rigatoni, etc.
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium zucchini, quaretered lenthwise and then cut into chunks
10 frozen artichoke hearts
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
handful of frozen peas
handful of fresh basil, torn
handful of kalamata olives
1/2 cup white wine
1 Tbsp tomato paste
chicken broth
extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder, saute in mixture of butter and a little oil until brown. Remove and set aside. Add in a little more oil if your pan is dry and saute onion in olive oil, add zucchini and leave it a lone for a minute until it browns a little, add garlic and let cook for a minute or so and then add artichoke hearts. They won't really brown but will soften. (*See Note) Add tomato paste and stir, let it cook for a minute. Deglaze pan with wine and scrape up any browned bits that stuck to the pan. When liquid reduces add chicken broth a little at a time to get the consistency of sauce you want. Add kalamata olives, salt and pepper and let cook for about 20 minutes. Add cooked chicken and peas to the pan and stir. Chicken is already cooked so just let it simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

While sauce is cooking, boil water for pasta, season well with salt. When sauce is almost ready drop the pasta. When pasta is al dente toss with sauce and serve.

*note - I used some fresh tomatoes but they weren't ripe enough and didn't do anything for the dish so I didn't put it in the recipe. However, if you have beautiful ripe plum tomatoes you could add them here.

Pasta Bella Familia

A couple of weeks ago my Mother and Father went on a cruise with our cousins, Jane and Pat from Arizona. The night they arrived we knew they would be hungry after all that traveling. This is the dish I created for us all to share together the night before they left for their cruise. It took me a while to write up the recipe and now that it's been a few weeks I'm hoping that I didn't leave anything out. It's actually pretty basic and any vegetable can be substituted, so it would be fine to use this recipe as a guide.

I'd like to give a special thank you to Jane, Pat and the rest of my family for inspiring this delicious dish!


Pasta Bella Familia

Ingredients:

2 packages cremini mushrooms
2 cans artichoke hearts
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
sundried tomatoes in oil, sliced
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bags spinach, chopped
1 handful parsley, chopped
Approx 1 cup white wine
chicken broth
2 pounds penne
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Sauté onions and garlic in a combination of extra virgin olive oil and oil from sundried tomatoes. Add mushrooms and try not to stir too much so they will get some color. Once they are soft add tomatoes and cook until they break down and become soft and release their liquid. Add sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and olives. Let them heat through and then add spinach tossing until coated with oil. Add more oil as needed. Add white wine and let it cook down until liquid has reduced by about half, then add chicken broth. Taste and add salt and pepper.

Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Toss pasta with veggies and parsley.

Note: Vegetable broth can be substitued for chicken broth if you are vegetarian.