Chicken Marsala & A Milestone

It was only couple of months back when I was a rookie in this blog world. After long hours of discussions and brain storming I and J decided to name our 'Blog Baby' - 'Food for thought' - Meaning something that tickles one's grey cells. Well it tickles our taste buds too .....

After long hours of selecting the layout, design etc I decided to make my first post. I was nervous like a small kid going to school for the first time. I wanted to start the blog with something sweet, so decided to post the recipe for 'Rasgulla'. Like a curious little kid I clicked on my blog every hour to check if I had any visitor. Not to forget I called my parents, in - laws and relatives ..... to make this very important announcement.

I was exhilarated the moment I saw my first follower and then the first comment. The excitement and happiness was nothing less than what I had felt when I got my first salary credited to my bank account.

Time flew and this space of mine became an open book ..... Something like a diary where I could pen down my memories, experience and thoughts without the fear of being judged.More than anything I was loving what I was doing ...... and this is what mattered to me at the end of the day.

If you are wondering why all this nostalgia. Well my friends ..... even to my own disbelief this happens to be the 100th post !!!

And if there is one person who has happily stood by me, encouraged me and has been a gleeful Guinea Pig to my 'food experiments' .....it's J.

I owe it all to my loving husband ........

I would love to say few lines from my favorite movie 'Julie and Julia' for him ....

'You are the butter to my bread and the breath to my life'

(No matter how much I irritate you and fight with you) I still love you :-)

He is the one who has been my friend, mentor and critic ....... So as a remembrance to this happy journey to my 100th post I would love to dedicate this post to J.

I also want to thank everybody who has constantly encouraged me through their loving comments.

Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Serves -2

Ingredients

Thin sliced chicken breasts - 3/4 pound

All purpose flour - 1/2 cup

Oregano - 1/2 tsp

Fresh Crushed Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Chopped Mushrooms (Baby Bella) - 2 cups

Marsala Wine - 1.5 cups

Olive oil for cooking

Method of Preparation

1 Wash the chicken breasts and pat them dry using a kitchen towel. Place them on a hard surface (chopping board) and pound them a little.

2 In a plate mix All purpose flour + Oregano + Pepper. Dust the chicken breasts on both sides on this flour mixture.

3 In a wide pan heat some olive oil. Take enough oil to coat the pan. Fry the chicken breasts on both sides for 2 minutes each. This gives a nice texture to the chicken pieces. Remove from heat and keep aside.

4 In the same pan, drizzle little more oil if needed. Add the chopped mushrooms to it. Do not crowd the mushrooms else they won't brown. Add one cup of marsala wine to it. Add the fried chicken pieces too. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium flame. Stir occasionally if required.

5 Add the remaining wine to it and cook for some more time till the chicken pieces get cooked.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with grilled asparagus/ mashed potatoes and red wine.

Notes

Marsala Wine by itself is salty, so add salt only if required.

Make sure you use thin sliced chicken breasts and do not forget to pound them.

Grilled Veggies Spaghetti ......

Italian for Dinner tonight .......

Sat : Hey I am gonna prepare Italian tonight.
J : (Very Excited over the name of Italian food) Will you be preparing Chicken Marsala with mashed potatoes and mushroom ?
Sat : Nah .... it's will be Spaghetti with Basil Tomato sauce and grilled veggies.
J : You mean those noodle like things that you cook when you are lazy
Sat : What ... did you just say that I am lazy ?
J : Grumbling ..... no that's not what I meant.

Sat : Well no matter what you mean .... Today's dinner is Veggie Spaghetti.

J : Is there an option ... I mean anything left over in the fridge.

Sat goes ahead in preparing her new recipe - Grilled veggie spaghetti with tomato basil sauce. J is no more interested about 'Italian' since it's not Chicken Marsala. Sat prepares the dish and hands it over to J . J's eyes are glued to the TV, he finishes the entire bowl without even noticing what he's eating.

Sat busy taking clicks for her blog .....

Preparation Time - 40 minutes
Serves - 2
Ingredients

Spaghetti - 5 oz

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Garlic - 2 cloves

Tomato Basil Sauce - 1.5 cups

Chopped Capsicum - 1/2 cup

Tomato - 1
Chopped Broccoli - 1/2 cup
Chopped Onion - 1 cup

Grated Parmesan cheese - 1/2 cup

Salt per taste

Method of Preparation

1 Bring some water to a rolling boil. Add some salt to the water. Drop the Spaghetti and cook well. Remove and drain. Keep aside.

2 Drizzle some olive oil on the vegetables. Sprinkle salt on it. Grill till cooked (approx 15 minutes)

3 In a wok, add some olive oil. Crush the garlic cloves and add to the oil. Saute till the aroma of garlic gets infused into the oil. Remove the garlic cloves from the oil.

4 Add the grilled vegetables to the oil and saute for a minute. Add the cooked Spaghetti and mix well.

5 Now add the Tomato Basil Sauce (any store bought one) and stir well to mix.
6 Finally add grated Parmesan Cheese and give it a rough stir.

Serving Tips

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Make sure you bring the water to a boil before adding the Spaghetti. Add few drops of oil to the water. This prevents the spaghetti from sticking to one another.

Variation

You may choose to add your choice of vegetables.

Other Names

Capsicum - Bell Pepper