Chicken Cacciatore

Original recipe found here.

I have come to a point where I am starting to try recipes of foods that I have never tasted before.  Because of this, I do not know if this tastes the way it is supposed to!  However, I can tell you it was very good.  I was a little hesitant when I made the sauce to put in the slow cooker, the wine taste was extremely strong.  While I was at the grocery store, I had looked up dry wine on my phone.  It suggested Pinot Grigio.  Thankfully, the wine flavor did cook down and the dish tasted fantastic!  

This recipe is a little more time consuming.  Because of this, in the future I would make 2 batches...one for the slow cooker and one for the freezer to have on hand.

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup white flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half

1 small can tomato paste

1 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon marjoram

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 green bell pepper, chopped

Add flour salt and pepper into a bag.  Throw in chicken cubes, seal bag and shake to coat with flour.  Put olive oil in frying pan and heat.  Add in chicken and stir immediately to avoid sticking together.  Brown on each side and remove with slotted spoon.  Add in slow cooker.

Turn oil down to medium heat, and add in onions and garlic.  Saute until translucent and fragrant.  Remove with a slotted spoon and add to blender.  Combine with wine, chicken broth,tomato paste, thyme, and marjoram.  Blend until smooth.  Add to slow cooker. 

Cook on medium high for 4-5 hours.  About 30 minutes before you are going to serve, add in mushrooms and green peppers.  Serve over a thin pasta, I used angel hair.  Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Gnocchi

Original recipe found in Williams Sonoma Comfort Food.

This was my first attempt at gnocchi and it was excellent.  I ended up having to add a lot more flour than the recipe called for, about 1 1/2 cups more.  The dough finally started to firm up after adding more.  I am not what caused that, but in the end everything turned out.  Another suggestion would be to double the recipe and freeze some for next time!

 Ingredients:

1 2/3 pounds potatoes

Salt

2 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups flour, or as needed

In a large sauce pan, combine unpeeled potatoes with salted water to cover by 1 inch, cover pan and bring to a boil at high heat.  Reduce heat to medium low and summer until tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold running water until easy to handle.  Peel the potatoes and return them to the sauce pan.  Cook over medium low heat, shaking the pan often, to evaporate excess moisture, about 2 minutes.

Press the warm potatoes through a ricer.  Stir in the eggs and 2 teaspoons salt.  Gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough.  Turn dough out on to lightly floured work surface and kneed gently a few times until smooth.  Add just enough flour to prevent sticking.

Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet. 

I worked with small balls of dough to roll into strips about 3/4 inch in diameter.  This made the ropes shorter, but a lot easier to handle.  Cut the ropes into 1 inch lengths and transfer to a prepared baking sheet.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add half the gnocchi to the water and simmer until they rise to the surface.  Use a skimmer to transfer gnocchi to a warmed serving bowl and cover to keep warm.  Repeat with the remaining gnocchi.

I added pesto and chicken to my gnocchi and served a dinner.  Feel free to add any sauce you want.  Gnocchi will hold up in thicker sauces as well.