Italian

Bruschetta

Garden-fresh Bruschetta – Nothing says summer like ripe Roma tomatoes, fragrant basil, and a hint of garlic on crispy bread. Simple, fresh, and so satisfying.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Basil, Garlic, Home Grown, Roma Tomatoes

Prep Time 20

Ingredients

Bruschetta

¼ cup Olive Oil Extra Virgin
1 ½ tbsp Garlic Cloves Minced
26 oz Roma Tomatoes Diced
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese Finely Shredded
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar Or more to taste
½ tsp Black Pepper Freshly Gorund
¼ cup Basil Chopped Ribbon (Chiffonade)

Crostuni

1 loaf French Bread Sliced into 1/2” thick slices
¼ cup Olive Oil Extra Virgin, herbal flavored if available
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese Finely Shredded

Instructions

Bruschetta

Heat olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic until it is just starting to turn golden (don’t brown it), about 1 minute.
Pour into a large mixing bowl with cooled oil mixture. Let it cool while you dice tomatoes and chop basil. Add Parmesan, basil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss until well mixed.
Chili for 1 hour so that all the flavors meld together.

Crostini

Place bread slices on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes until golden brown. I usually put it under the broiler for few minutes to crisp the cheese up.

Assemble

Spoon tomato mixture over crostini and garnish with more Parmesan.
Best served with warm crostinis.

Winter final kicked in with some cold temperatures, and Leigh loves mushrooms, so nothing better than a warm and hearty Chicken Marsala. Chicken Marsala is an Italian dish with pan-fried chicken, mushrooms and a cream Marsala wine sauce. It is actually a pretty simple recipe and cooks up quickly after doing a little prep work. Once again, I researched recipes and combined a few to come up with this version. In hindsight, I would suggest doubling up on the mushrooms and the sauce ingredients, especially if you’re going to serve it over pasta.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded ¼-inch thick
- You can also slice the breast in half first and then pound down to ¼-inch thick
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 (8-oz) package mini portabella or cremini mushrooms sliced
3 medium shallots finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup dry Marsala wine
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, for serving (optional)

Preparation:

Place the flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a ziplock bag. Add the chicken to the bag; seal bag tightly and shake to coat chicken evenly. Set aside.
Heat the 1 Tbs. olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the flour-dusted chicken in the pan, shaking off any excess first, and cook, turning once, until the chicken is golden and just barely cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- I split the chicken into two batches to allow enough spacing in the frying skillet. I then added 1 Tbs. olive oil when starting the second batch.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the shallots, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt; cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the broth, wine, heavy cream, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper; use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the pan into the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by about half, slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes (until the sauce thickens and darkens).
- This is where I would suggest doubling up on the mushrooms and sauce ingredients if you are serving over pasta or rice.
Add the chicken back to the pan, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce thickens a bit more, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve.

That is it, pretty straight forward and easy to prepare. We served this over a bed of angel hair pasta. It would be good with rice or on its own with a fresh vegetable side.