Oct 19, 2007 9:01 am US/Eastern
Rania's Recipes: Italian Chicken & Shrimp Marsala
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
Having some guests over this weekend for the Steelers game -- but don't want to serve the usual fare? Rania Harris has just the meal for you: Italian Chicken with Pesto-Garlic Bread and some Jumbo Shrimp Marsala to compliment the chicken dish!
Italian Chicken with Pesto-Garlic Bread
16 Chicken thighs
Olive oil for brushing the chicken
1 - 26 ounce jar Classico Traditional Sweet Basil Sauce
1 – 10 ounce jar Classico Basil Pesto
1 loaf French bread – sliced into 16 slices (about ½ inch thick)
¾ cup Parmesan Cheese
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Arrange the chicken in a single layer, in a wide flameproof dish, and brush lightly with olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Roast the chicken for about 35 - 40 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. The juices of the chicken should run clear when pierced with a skewer. Remove from oven and turn the broiler to high.
Warm the Sweet Basil Sauce with ½ cup of the Basil Pesto and pour over the chicken. Broil for two minutes.
Meanwhile, spread the remaining pesto over the French bread slices. Place the pesto bread slices on top of the chicken pieces and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Place the casserole under the broiler and broil for 2 – 3 minutes, or until browned and bubbling. Serve immediately with a garden salad.
Serves: 8
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 - 45 minutes (in total)
Please note that the Spicy Tomato & Basil Sauce may be substituted for the Sweet Basil Sauce in this recipe for a slightly different end result.
Jumbo Shrimp Marsala
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
1 rib celery with leaves, cut into ½-inch pieces
4 medium plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 tablespoon currants
2 tablespoons small capers, rinsed and drained
1 cup dry Marsala
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf, preferably fresh
2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fennel fronds for garnish, optional
DIRECTIONS:
In a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add the onion and celery and cook until softened. Add the tomatoes, pine nuts, currants, capers, marsala, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
Remove the pan from the heat and lay the shrimp in one layer in the tomato mixture. Cover, set over low heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, and allow to stand for 5 minutes, covered.
Serve warm, or allow to cool to room temperature. Garnish with fennel fronds, if using.
Serves 4
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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