Carla's Kitchen Capers: Meatballs Marsala

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Meatballs Marsala: Who doesn't like meatballs and teamed up with a brown gravy marsala wine sauce, nothing but yummy!! Believe it or not it's so simple to ma...

Meatballs Marsala

Who doesn't like meatballs and teamed up with a brown gravy marsala wine sauce, nothing but yummy!! Believe it or not it's so simple to make. You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry, and pour it over your favorite pasta or rice, you need nothing else except a nice crusty loaf of bread and a glass of wine. Start with your go to meatball mix, mine includes:
ground beef, pork and veal
bread soaked and squeezed
egg
grated onion/garlic
grated romano/parmesane
chopped parsely
salt and pepper
(notice how I won't reveal my meatball recipe) ;)
roll into mini balls and toss in flour, fry in 3 tablespoons of olive oil on all sides and removed from the pan. Next the marsala sauce:
1/2 cup marsala wine
3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 14oz cans beef broth
and a tiny drop of gravy master
taste first and season with salt and pepper

after removing the meatballs deglaze the hot!! pan with the marsala, add the butter and flour, cook for about 3-4 minutes then whisk in the beef broth. Bring the sauce back up to a boil and when it thicken's to your liking add the meatballs and a tablespoon of fresh thyme, re season if needed and keep warm. 
Now set a pot of salted water to boil for a pasta or rice of your choice, when cooked to your liking toss together and enjoy!!
*the longer the meatballs dance in the gravy the better.
**if the marsala sauce seems to thick add some of the starchy pasta water.

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Chicken Cacciatore alla Carla

Carla's Kitchen Capers: Chicken Cacciatore alla Carla: Because Hubb's and I do not like dark meat chicken I modified this classic Italian recipe to our liking. I would have preferred to use spl...

Chicken Cacciatore alla Carla

Because Hubb's and I do not like dark meat chicken I modified this classic Italian recipe to our liking. I would have preferred to use split breast on the bone but all I had on hand was boneless breast. Actually anytime I research recipe's I always put my own spin on it, replacing ingredients I don't like or have and substituting with one's that I do. For the cacciatore I used:

1-1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breast

1 10 oz pkg button mushrooms

1/2 onion diced

1 large carrot diced

2 red and 2 green hot cherry peppers seeded and diced

3-4 cloves of garlic smashed and peeled

1 24 oz can of whole tomatoes squeezed with my hands

1 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes

1/2 cup red wine

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

about 1 tablespoons combined chopped fresh oregano and time

one small fresh bay leaf

flour to toss chicken in (about a cup seasoned with salt and pepper)

more salt and pepper to taste

Add oil and 2 tablespoons of butter to a large skillet, toss chicken in flour and brown on all sides (do it in batches so not to steam) remove from the pan and set aside. Next add onions and carrot to pan and sweat for about 3-4 minutes, add mushrooms and cook until brown, season with salt and pepper. Add red wine and cook until all liquid is reduced. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, herbs and cook for about 1/2 hour, add last tablespoon on butter, meanwhile set a pot of salted water to boil and keep the sauce simmering. 

At this point when the water comes to a boil add the chicken to the sauce and throw the pasta. Today I was a little bored so I made some homemade fresh fettucini, I won't post the recipe because there are already a million recipe's available on-line, but any pasta of your choice will be perfect. Toss together and you're going to be in heaven. 

*Garnish with grated romano

**Some garlic bread would be a perfect accompaniment 

***Also a nice glass of wine and share the love <3