Roman Chicken

So at the start of all the recipes here on An Eat’n Man I like to tell a little hoopdedoodle  about the dish, you know, its history, origins, interesting trivia, whatnot.  Well, for this dish—I got nothin.’  I’ve searched high and low for info about Roman Chicken, from Apicius to Zed and I got zero.  I’ve found lots of recipes for it on the net, most penned by Giada De Laurentiis.    In fact, after much searching, I was beginning to think that Giada invented the dish herself, but I found a reference on Nigella Lawson’s site that mentioned tasting the dish in Rome in the 70s, so perhaps it does predate Giada. 

As to what is particularly Roman about the dish, I think that perhaps this just means it is a dish popular in Rome the city, and not any connection to Ancient Rome.  (The ancients wouldn’t have had access to bell peppers or tomatoes, which are native to the Americas)

Anyhoo, regardless of where the dish comes from, it is a tasty and unique way to feature chicken, so let’s give it a try.    

Roman Chicken

2-4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1 Red Bell Pepper, Julienned

1 Yellow Bell Pepper, Julienned

4 Oz Prosciutto

3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped

1 14 Oz Can Diced Tomatoes

2/3 Cup White Wine

1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme, Chopped

1 Tablespoon Fresh Oregano, Chopped

1/2 Cup Chicken Stock

2 Tablespoon capers

Fresh Parsley

Heat the olive oil medium hot in a large skillet.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sauté it until browned but not necessarily cooked through.  

While the chicken is cooking, julienne your bell peppers 

and the prosciutto. 

Remove the chicken from the skillet and add the bell peppers and cook until the peppers are soft and just starting to brown.

Add the prosciutto and cook for a few minutes more.

Add the garlic and cook briefly. 

Add the white wine 

and stir to loosen any browned bits.  Add the tomatoes.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. 

Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.  

Remove and keep warm. 

Mince the oregano and thyme.  

Add it to the sauce. 

Don’t forget that fresh parsley.  

Chop some up fine and add it to the sauce. 

Oh, and then there's my favorite part--the capers!

Add them to the sauce.   

Serve the chicken with the sauce.  Enjoy!

Until Next Time,

Ciao,

Chris

Farfalle Ronaldo

Ingredients

8 Oz Bow-Tie Pasta
3 Oz Sun Dried Tomatoes
3 Oz Pitted Kalamata Olives
3 Oz Feta Cheese, Cubed
2 Oz Pine Nuts
2 Teaspoons Basil
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

When Romano's Macaroni Grill opened near me in the early '90s, I was thrilled.  This restaurant really took Italian Cuisine to a new level, one heretofore unseen by a chain restaurant.  Over the years, they've changed their menu from time to time, but I'm still pretty happy with their fare.  Except for the fact that they discontinued my favorite dish, Farfalle Ronaldo.

You can still sort of get them to 'manufacture' this dish for you from the build-your-own-pasta-menu, but it just doesn't seem to be the same.  Can't recall why--perhaps there was some ingredient missing.  Anyway, the next best thing is to make it at home--in fact, that may even be the better thing.  I've been making my own version for years.  It's quick, easy, and can be made from ingredients that you probably have on hand, or should.  Here's how:

You could use any sort of olives in this, but the Kalamata are traditional.

Sun Dried Tomatoes come all sorts of ways, including suspended in oil.  These are two oily for me, I just buy them dry.  You can even get them already julienned.

Pine Nuts:  Make sure you get fresh pine nuts.  Because of their high fat content, these can go rancid quite quickly, so avoid buying them in little packets that have been hanging on the grocery store shelf for who knows how long.  I buy them from Central Market in bulk, then freeze them in a ziplock until I need them.

Feta Cheese comes in all sorts of flavors these days.  Just get regular.  Also resist the urge to buy the already crumbled version--the crumbs in these are too small and melt when you mix things.  Buy the block and cube it.

Okay, let's get down to business.


First, get some water boiling in a large pot.  Do the same in a small sauce pan or saucier, then boil your sun dried tomatoes in the small sauce pan.  Let things boil for a few minutes to soften the tomatoes.

Once they are soft, drain them and return them to the same pan.

Add the olive oil and saute them a minute or two.

While this is going on, add your pasta to the now boiling water in the big pot.  Boil for 6-8 minutes, until Al Dente, or to your liking.

You can also cube your Feta right now.

After a couple minutes, add the olives to the sun dried tomatoes.  Olives, with their high levels of fat, taken on a whole new level of flavor when heated through.

Stir the whole concoction with a fork or spoon while its heating, to keep it from scorching on the bottom.

Add the basil.  If you have fresh, you can certainly use that, but our garden was bare when we made this batch, so we used dried.

Add the pine nuts.

Cook another minute or two to let everything heat through.

Keep stirring it from time to time.

Drain your pasta, place some in a bowl, then spoon on your tomato concoction.  Top with some of the feta.  Serve immediately.

.

Until Next Time,

Salute!


Chris

Farfalle with Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

This is a simple yet easy to fix pasta dish that can be made in minutes but still packs a lot of flavor.  Better still, it can be made from ingredients you probably keep in your pantry (or should) for those times when you just can't seem to make it to the grocery store.

Of course you could roast your own peppers, slice up fresh tomatoes, roll out your own pasta dough, and I'm not knocking that--I do it all the time.  But in some cases there are certain flavors that show up in canned or jarred versions of veggies that actually aren't found in fresh, and in the case of this recipe, I prefer that.

Farfalle with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

8 Oz Cooked Farfalle (Bow Tie) Pasta
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, Diced
1 12 Oz Jar Roasted Red Peppers
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1 6 Oz Can Tomato Paste
1 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
Dash Red Pepper Flakes
Salt to Taste

Start salted water boiling for your pasta.

Heat a skillet with the olive oil in it.

When it is hot, add your diced onion

and cook until the onions just start to turn golden brown.  While this is going on, get your jar of roasted red peppers.

I really loved these jarred roasted red peppers, and always keep a few of 'em in my pantry for last minute dishes like this one.  They have a unique flavor from being both roasted and slightly pickled that I find I can't get when I roast my own fresh red bell peppers.

Anyway, pull 'em out of the jar.

They will be pretty large pieces, so chop them down to something around bite sized.  Add 'em to the skillet when the onions have started to turn golden.

Stir this around and let cook for a few minutes, then add the balsamic vinegar.

Cook for one minute and then add the tomato paste.  Follow up this by adding the heavy cream.

Give everything a good stir to combine.

Add the smoked paprika

and the red pepper flakes, then allow to cook for 10 minutes or so, stirring often.

While this is going on, cook your farfalle in the boiling water until al dente, probably 8-10 minutes.

After 10 minutes taste the sauce and adjust with salt if necessary to taste.  Place the pasta in a bowl, spoon sauce over and serve it with a little shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top.

Until next time,

Savor the flavor, my friends.


Chris