Tag: wine

  • Nate’s Pinot Noir Marinara


    Marinara_01.jpg

    Marinara is a mother sauce that you can use in all sorts of Italian dishes, from spaghetti to pizza to lasagna to meatball subs, even just for dipping breadsticks.
    Jon and I make marinara differently. His turns out smoky and rich. Mine is more bright and floral with a slight acidic edge. (I think it’s because of the bay leaf and I put waaay less wine in the sauce.) You can’t make marinara wrong, but sometimes the freshness is nice. You can customize the sauce for the dish as you see fit.

    Nate’s Pinot Noir Marinara

    • 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
    • 1 medium sweet onion, diced
    • 6 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 tbs. dried Mediterranean oregano
    • 1 tbs. fennel seed
    • 1 10-inch sprig rosemary, leaves removed, minced (reserve the stick)
    • ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 2 cup pinot noir red wine
    • 2 tbs. olive oil
    • salt & pepper to taste


    Marinara_02

    Marinara_02

    In a large heavy-bottomed stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Sweat the onions (cook them until translucent), stirring constantly. Add tomatoes and stir. Add everything else, and bring to a simmer. Reduce to low heat and cook uncovered for 1 hour, stirring frequently. The sauce will reduce about halfway.

    You can refrigerate the sauce for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

    Yields scant 3 pints.

  • Chicken Marsala with Fettuccine


    DSC0059.jpg

    Relatively quick and easy. Complex, rich, savory, and sweet. It’s hard to keep track of how many times we have made this recipe. It’s our standard cream sauce pasta dish, giving the boot to the run-of-the-mill fettuccine alfredo. You won’t find anything out of the ordinary with this recipe. It’s just really really good. Oh, and we added rosemary to the sauce, because who are we kidding. It’s us.
    We fucking love rosemary.

    Chicken Marsala with Fettuccine

    • 1 batch sexy pasta (½ batch everyday pasta) or 6 oz. dried fettuccine
    • ½ lb. chicken breasts (1–2 breasts)
    • 1 small shallot, minced
    • 1 8-inch sprig rosemary, leaves only, minced
    • ½ pound cremini mushrooms (roughly 6 large), sliced ¼-inch thick
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • ½ cup marsala wine
    • ¾ cup whipping cream
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • parmesan cheese, for garnish
    • Italian parsley, for garnish
    • red pepper flakes, for garnish
    • rosemary flowers, seasonal, for garnish


    Chicken-Marsala-2

    Chicken-Marsala-2

    Roll out pasta using a pasta machine to thickness setting of 5. Cut in half as the dough gets too long to handle. Run through the fettuccine attachment and toss the noodles with flour to keep it from congealing. If you don’t have a pasta machine, follow the noodle making instructions from this recipe. Set aside, but toss frequently until ready to boil to ensure the noodles don’t stick together.


    Chicken-Marsala-3

    Chicken-Marsala-3

    Carefully slice chicken breasts in half, and season the surface with salt and pepper. Coat a 12” skillet with oil and bring to medium-high heat. Pan sear chicken until it has a deep golden crust and is cooked through (160°F/71°C). Set aside.

    Bring a pot of water to boiling.

    In the same skillet as you used to cook the chicken, add a little more oil. Cook the mushrooms until softened and golden brown. (This part requires some patience. Allow mushrooms to cook without stirring until you are ready to flip them.) When mushrooms are cooked, add shallots and cook briefly until translucent. Add marsala wine to deglaze and lower the heat to medium low. Add rosemary and reduce wine until it has mostly evaporated.

    While wine is reducing, cook noodles 1½–2 minutes, or until the begin to float and the water starts foaming. Drain and set aside. Do not do this ahead of time or you will end up with an unappetizing glob of cooked noodles that not even Lumpy Space Princess would enjoy.

    Add cream and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken. Add cooked noodles and toss with the sauce. The gluten from the noodles will thicken the sauce. Serve immediately with chicken and garnish with parmesan, parsley, red pepper flakes, and rosemary flowers (if in season).


    Chicken-Marsala-4

    Chicken-Marsala-4

    Serves 2.