Valentines Day Wrap-Up and Wine Snob: Wine as Old as Me!

As I mentioned in a recent post, Servius cooked dinner for Valentine's Day. It went over quite well, actually. He used my Chicken Marsala recipe. This was actually a good test for the recipe: someone like Servius who cooks infrequently cannot make the types of judgments that my recipe requires: salt and pepper "to taste" and deciding when the sauce has reduced significantly. This reminds me that I am not a particularly precise cook-- I fuss, fiddle, and taste. In future, I will try to add a greater degree of precision to my recipes in order to allow someone with less experience to cook them more easily.

Servius cooks!

The dinner was lovely. It was accompanied by a wine given to my mother by her brother for her birthday. This is the oldest wine I have ever tasted. Unlike me and my complete lack of wine knowledge, my uncle is something of a connoisseur, specifically of California wines, and has the ability to pick obscure wines that are fabulous. This was no exception.

Label [1].

Bottle

The wine was wonderful. Bottled in 1988, it was the oldest wine I have ever had (I think the earliest wine I had tasted up until this point was a 1998). It was a lovely, fairly light Cabernet Savignon from Newlan Vinyards & Winery in Napa Valley (which I believe no longer exists). The wine was a dark, rich ruby red; it was almost a mahogany color, but lit up with streaks of bright, glittering red where the light hit it. The smell was light (although my allergies have been acting up) and Servia thought she detected a hint of leather. The taste was smooth but complex with a pinch of garam masala and white pepper and a light smokey finish. The smokiness reminded me of Laphroaig (although it was only at the end) or the smell of smoked ham. I have never tasted a wine with a smokey finish like this-- only scotches-- and I thought it was quite lovely. Overall, the wine was stunning. It was perfect with food like chicken marsala because it held its own against the marsala sauce, but not so light that it overpowers it. Perfectly balanced with many flavors. Simply lovely.

The one problem with the wine was that the cork broke when I was pulling it out and we had to push it in to the bottle and strain the wine. My decanter (which doubles as a vase) was in the garage, so Servia had to find something. She was given a wonderfully eccentric silver and glass decanter by a friend, so we used that. The decanter is fabulous, outfitted by pictures of Dionysus and cherubs playing.

We then laid out the table while Servius cooked.

The table before the food.

Endnotes

1. As (almost) always, my photography is for the purposes of illustrating or demonstrating, not for being pretty.

Updates and Valentines Day Fun

There is a chocolate cake post, a discussion of garlic, and a "Wine Snob" post in the works. I have been busier than usual recently with my new math class and various other obligations so I have not been positing as diligently as usual.

Tomorrow (or I guess later today) is Valentine's Day. Sadly, Cerinthus and I will be spending the first Valentine's Day apart in three years. Since I am at home, I get to witness the modern marvel: Servius cooking. My father does not cook. He burns toast and he once made me "scrambled eggs" that looked like they had been put through a  cheese grater. However, on Valentine's Day a few years ago he actually cooked Chicken Marsala for my mother...and she said it was good! He is going to cook the same dish again this year and I get to witness this highly unusual phenomenon. I love Chicken Marsala, so I am pretty excited.

A Lighter Chicken Marsala Part Two: The Comparison

As I mentioned in my recent post, I spoke of my love for chicken masala. I mentioned that "even in our lighter, fabulous version, there is still some debate. Cream or no cream?" A few nights ago we made a version with cream (in which I was the head chef) and tonight, my mom made a cream-less version (in which she is the head chef). The problem is: both were great! So what do we do? I guess we will determine based on whether or not we have cream in the house and how many calories (cream adds calories).

If anyone decides to try out one of the recipes, comment and let me know your feedback!

Chicken Marsala Pasta without Cream (makes 3-4 servings)

Ingredients

• 9-12oz boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper, white or black (plus some for flavor in sauce)
• 1/4 tsp salt (plus some for flavor in sauce)
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 small head garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2/3 cup marsal wine, dry (not sweet)
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• Pasta (usually fettucini or angel hair), a serving per person

Directions

1. Place the chicken pieces between wax paper and pound to 1/2-1/4 inch thick.
2. Mix oregano, salt, pepper, and flour. Drag the chicken through the mixture and shake off excess.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet. Fry the chicken until cooked through and slightly browned on the outside. Do not overcook, should be fork tender. If you need to fry the chicken in batches, that is ok.
4. Remove chicken from pan and cover with aluminum foil
5. Add last tablespoon of oil to skillet. Add garlic and saute until soft (do not brown), just under 1 minute.
6. Add scallion to skillet. Saute for 1 minute (do not brown).
7. Add mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes. Stir the mushrooms during this process. However, do not stir them too much. And "don't crowd the mushrooms" [1]! Really, let the mushrooms sit flat on the pan so that they brown.
8. Pour marsala and chicken broth into skillet and let simmer for a few minutes.
9. Add cream (optional).
10. Prepare pasta when necessary, per the directions of the pasta, but I usually put it on as the sauce is reducing.
11. Let the sauce simmer until reduced by half. Add salt and pepper to taste (this does not require much salt or pepper, but white pepper especially brings out the flavor). Add a mix of water and flour if necessary as a thickening agent (more likely to be necessary if you are not using cream).
12. Replace chicken into pan and reheat on low. Cover the chicken in the sauce and the mushrooms.
13. Either place pasta in skillet and stir into sauce, then serve, or put pasta on plates and place chicken on top, pouring excess sauce over the pasta. Enjoy!

Endnotes

1. I just watched Julie & Julia, which is an adorable film, and this is one piece of advice she provides. The Julie character warns: "don't crowd the mushrooms. Otherwise they won't brown."

A Slightly-Lighter-than-Usual Chicken Marsala

I love chicken marsala. I had my first bite when my mother convinced me to try some at New Years when I was around 12 and I just loved it. I used to order it a lot at Italian restaurants until I realized two things: first, every recipe for chicken marsala is different and second that most recipes pack between 700-1000 calories into their versions. Especially as I was trying to lose weight, this was crazy. So my mom and I took a bunch of versions and synthesized them into a fabulous version which substantially cut down the calories.

However, even in our lighter, fabulous version, there is still some debate. Cream or no cream? A few nights ago we made a version with cream (in which I was the head chef) and later this week, my mom is going to make a cream-less version (in which she is the head chef). I will let you know the results, but for now, this is my recipe.

Chicken Marsala Pasta with Cream (makes 3-4 servings)

Ingredients

• 9-12oz boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper, white or black (plus some for flavor in sauce)
• 1/4 tsp salt (plus some for flavor in sauce)
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 small head garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2/3 cup marsala wine, dry (not sweet)
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 2-3 tbsp heavy whipping cream (optional)
• Pasta (usually fettucini or angel hair), a serving per person

Directions

1. Place the chicken pieces between wax paper and pound to 1/2-1/4 inch thick.
2. Mix oregano, salt, pepper, and flour. Drag the chicken through the mixture and shake off excess.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet. Fry the chicken until cooked through and slightly browned on the outside. Do not overcook, should be fork tender. If you need to fry the chicken in batches, that is ok.
4. Remove chicken from pan and cover with aluminum foil
5. Add 1tbsp of oil to skillet. Add garlic and saute until soft (do not brown).
6. Add scallion to skillet. Saute for 1 minute (do not brown)
7. Add mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes. Stir the mushrooms during this process.
8. Pour marsala and chicken broth into skillet and let simmer for a few minutes.
9. Add cream (optional)
10. Prepare pasta when necessary, per the directions of the pasta, but I usually put it on as the sauce is reducing.
11. Let the sauce simmer until reduced by half. Add salt and pepper to taste (this does not require much salt or pepper, but white pepper especially brings out the flavor). Add a mix of water and flour if necessary as a thickening agent (more likely to be necessary if you are not using cream).
12. Replace chicken into pan and reheat on low. Cover the chicken in the sauce and the mushrooms.
13. Either place pasta in skillet and stir into sauce, then serve, or put pasta on plates and place chicken on top, pouring excess sauce over the pasta. Enjoy!