CHICKEN LOMBARDY - Pollo al Marsala Lombardo

In Italy, this dish is called Pollo al Marsala Lombardo (Chicken Marsala) and made without cheese. With the addition of cheese and green onions, it is an Italian-American version. The capital of Lombardia is Milano (Milan). The regional cuisine is based on butter, lard, pork, and veal.

If you want to serve this for company, prepare it in the morning, refrigerate, and let sit on your counter for 30 minutes before baking.
Serve with risotto, or pasta, or even roasted potatoes and a green salad.

4 T avocado oil

10 cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

4 boneless chicken breasts

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup marsala wine

¾ cup chicken stock or broth

2 T unsalted butter

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup shredded asiago cheese

¼ cup grated Parmigiano-reggiano cheese

2 scallions, thinly sliced

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat.

Add the mushrooms and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Lower heat to medium and add the onion and cook another 2 minutes.
Add garlic and cook another minute.
Spoon half of this mixture into a baking dish and the rest in a bowl and set aside.

Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise.
Pour flour in a shallow dish and dredge the chicken in flour, shaking off the excess.

In the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon of oil and brown half of the chicken on both sides until golden, about 4 minutes per side.
Place cooked chicken on top of mushroom mixture in baking dish.
Add the final tablespoon of oil to the skillet and brown the rest of the chicken on both sides until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.

Add to baking dish.
Spoon the rest of the mushroom mixture on top of the chicken.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the wine and chicken stock to the skillet and bring to a simmer.
Add the butter and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour over the chicken in the baking dish.

Combine the cheeses with the scallions and sprinkle over chicken.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serves 4 to 6

BAKED EGGPLANT PARMIGIANO WITH SWISS CHARD

The eggplants are so crispy and are baked in the oven.  I made a marinara sauce with canned cherry tomatoes and sautéed some Swiss chard and that was spooned under the marinara sauce. I peel the eggplant leaving stripes; otherwise, the peel can be quite chewy.

We had something similar for lunch on Salt Spring Island, several years ago and I have been making it ever since.

Baked Eggplants
2 large eggplants, partially peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices,16 slices total

1 cup all-purpose flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
1 T water
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

Provolone or mozzarella slices for tops of eggplants

Cherry Tomato Marina Sauce
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 14-oz cans cherry tomatoes
1 small bunch fresh basil leaves, torn or chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Swiss Chard
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 large bunch Swiss chard, trimmed of middle stems and chopped 

In a shallow bowl, add the flour and season generously with salt and pepper.
In a second shallow bowl, whisk the eggs with the water.
In a third shallow bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, panko, and grated Parmigiano. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle some oil on a large baking sheet pan and set aside.
Dip eggplant slices in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in egg mixture and finally in bread crumb mixture.

Place eggplant slices on the baking sheet and drizzle a little more oil on top

Place eggplants in oven and bake for 20 minutes, flip each one over, and bake another 15 minutes.

Meanwhile;
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over low heat and sauté
the garlic and red pepper flakes for a minute or two.
Add the cherry tomatoes and mash lightly with a fork or potato masher.  

Leave the tomatoes mostly whole.  

Simmer for 15 minutes, add basil and season with salt and pepper
Set aside and keep warm.

Remove eggplants from oven and sprinkle with a little more Parmigiano and add a slice of provolone or mozzarella cheese on top.
Place back in oven for cheese to melt, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, add the olive oil and sauté
the Swiss chard until soft, about 5 minutes.  
Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
Set aside and keep warm.

To Assemble

Spoon the chard in the middle of 4 plates.
Ladle on some cherry tomato sauce.
Arrange 4 slices of eggplant on top of sauce and garnish with basil, if desired.

Serves 4

ITALIAN ALMOND COOKIES

These almond flavored cookies remind my husband of his "Mamaw" (Nonna).  If you love almond flavoring and like those expensive, hard amaretti cookies in a tin, you will really love the soft-chewiness of these cookies.  

If you'd like, you can add ½ teaspoon of Amaretto liqueur.

2 cups almond flour

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ t sea salt

Zest of 1 large orange

2 large egg whites

¾ t almond extract

1 cup sliced almonds

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Spray a large cookie sheet with vegetable oil.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and orange zest.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Stir in almond extract.

Gently fold the eggs white mixture into the almond flour mixture until a sticky dough forms.

In a salad plate or something similar, add the sliced almonds.

Form dough into small balls.

Press each ball into the almonds to flatten slightly, and place on the cookie sheet.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes.

Remove with a spatula, while warm onto a wire rack to cool, or just loosen while on cookie sheet and let cool.

Let cool for 10 minutes.

Dust with confectioners' sugar and store in a container with a tight fitted lid.

Makes 24 cookies

ROMAN CACIO e PEPE WITH PANCETTA & LEMON

Cacio e Pepe is a pasta dish from Rome. It translates to "cheese and pepper". I added pancetta for extra crunch and flavor. I also added lemon zest and juice to brighten up the dish. This is a simple dish but you must add pancetta and Pecorino Romano cheese to make this authentic. I also added Parmigiano cheese because I like the combination of the two kinds of cheese. This could become your favorite quick pasta dish.

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 T freshly grated black pepper

1 T sea salt (for the pasta water)

1 lb spaghetti or bucatini

4 oz pancetta, diced

2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

6 T unsalted butter

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

2 T minced Italian parsley

In a bowl mix together the grated cheeses with the black pepper and set aside.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.

Add the salt and the spaghetti or bucatini and cook until al dente, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pancetta in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat until crisp.

Remove with a slotted spoon to a towel-lined plate and set aside.

Drain off most of the fat but leave the brown bits in the pan.

Lower heat and add the butter and garlic and sauté for 1 minute.

Add the cheese mixture and cook until cheeses are melted and smooth.

Drain the pasta but save 1 cup of the pasta water.

Add the drained pasta to the pan along with some of the pasta water.

Heat through then add half of the pancetta, lemon zest, and juice.

Transfer to 4 warm pasta bowls, sprinkle on the rest of the pancetta, drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, and garnish with parsley.

Serves 4

ZUPPE DI PESCE

Here is another seafood recipe that is definitely a soup.  I do not keep the water the clams are steamed in because here in Virginia the clams are very sandy.  I buy 2 bottles of clam nectar or broth to use in place of the juice from the dirty clams.  Do what you feel best with your clams.

2 T extra-virgin olive, plus more for garnish

1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 small shallot, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

Half of a 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano

½ t crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup white wine

¼ cup water

6 littleneck clams

2 bottles clam broth

6 oz piece white fish fillet, cut into bite-size pieces

8 mussels

6 sea scallops, cut in half

8 medium shrimp

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Italian parsley, finely chopped, for garnish

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat.

Add the fennel and shallot and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Add the half can crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and wine and slowly simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat ¼ cup water in a separate pan, add clams and simmer until open, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Strain water from clams and keep warm in pan covered with the lid.

After tomato sauce has been cooking for 10 minutes, add the clam broth and bring back to a simmer.

Add the fish and let simmer 3 minutes.

Add the mussels and scallops.

Let simmer another 5 minutes, until mussels have opened and fish is flaky.

Add shrimp and continue to simmer another 3 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle into 2 warm bowls and garnish with parsley and serve.

Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a first course. . .primi piatti.

MARINATED MOZZARELLA BALLS

This is a delicious appetizer for a small group or a crowd.

2 T minced fresh parsley

1 t minced fresh chives

1 t minced fresh rosemary

1 T minced sundried tomatoes, in oil

Zest of ½ medium lemon

Juice of ½ medium lemon

¼ t red pepper flakes

¼ t sea salt

12 oz fresh mozzarella cheese balls, drained and patted dry

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a medium bowl, stir together the first eight ingredients.

Place mozzarella cheese balls in a 12 oz jar fitted with a lid.

Pour in the the mixture in the bowl.

Add as much of the olive oil as needed to cover the cheese balls.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Remove from refrigerator an hour before serving to let olive oil come to room temperature.

SPAGHETTI ALL'AMATRICIANA

This is one of the simplest and most delicious pasta sauces. In Rome this tomato sauce is served with bucatini, which is a hollow version of spaghetti; it's like a straw with a tiny hole. The sauce originated in the small town of Amatrice, about 2 hours northeast of Rome. In Amatrice, they prefer spaghetti. Sadly, an earthquake destroyed almost the entire historic town.

6 oz guanciale or pancetta, diced
1 T extra-light olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, diced
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (28-oz) cans whole peeled Italian tomatoes
¼ cup Pino Grigio or other dry white wine

2 t chopped fresh basil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ lb bucatini or spaghetti

2 T freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the pancetta and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the oil and sauté the onion and red pepper flakes for 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and sauté another minute.

Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and hand-crush them, removing any hard center cores.

Alternatively, use an immersion blender to chop the tomatoes.

To the saucepan, add the crushed tomatoes, wine, basil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti in salted water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Save a little of the pasta water to add to the sauce.

When the sauce is finished simmering, stir in a little of the pasta water and the grated cheese.

Pour the drained pasta back into the pot and add some of the tomato sauce, as needed.

Toss to combine and spoon pasta into 2 warm pasta bowls.

Drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle on a little more cheese, and garnish with basil.

Buon appetito!

Serves 2 with plenty of sauce left over.