About 2 and a half years ago, my mom found some random recipe online. It was really simple and delicious she said. So I decided to try it out for a dinner party. It was our first dinner party ever, Mandi Rich and I fresh out of college living in Allston, MA and having 5 people over after work on Thursday to watch the office. Mandi and I worked on the meal while Rich (1/2 of design team) cleaned up and prepped for the guests. As we ate, we all just laughed the entire time. This was the best food any of us had ever tasted! I think that moment caused me to get more into cooking because seeing the joy on everyone’s faces was really awesome. These days, I make this meal occasionally and it always reminds me of that night. It is no longer the best thing I have ever tasted since my palate has changed and I have eaten much more types of foods since then, but it always brings me back to those days on Lorraine Terrace.
Does anyone remember that party? Was it as good as I remember? Or was I just drunk… Anyways, the recipe is here. It is called chicken Tuscany although I don’t think it has anything to do with Tuscany. We decided to put a Jamie Oliver risotto recipe with it. Before I get into the food part, I found 5 pictures from that party a few years back that I want to share with you.
Allison, Laura, and Mandi
Allison, Laura and Rich. What is that green drink?
Billy, Me, and rich. I was destined for food blogging.
Lookin good 2005 Dan. They could have more color on the top, but that’s ok, you are learning.
Anyways, back to ’08. Here is Mandi prepping the peppers.
You need to pound out the chicken breasts.
We got some gourmet salts from Amy when she went to Napa. I think we may do some taste tests next week. We used a little grey salt on the chicken in this dish just to try it.
A quick roast under the broiler. Don’t singe them too much.
Wrap up the spinach and mozzarella in the seasoned chicken. Then shove this into the slightly roasted red peppers. Stand them upright and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
This is for the risotto. You marinade the tomatoes in red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper.
In addition to its fresh, soft form, ricotta is also sold in three preparations which ensure a longer shelf life: salted, baked and smoked. The pressed, salted and dried variety of the cheese is known as ricotta salata. A milky-white hard cheese used for grating or shaving, ricotta salata is sold in wheels, decorated by a delicate basket-weave pattern.
Begin the risotto like normal. Sweat some onions for about 10 minutes.
Then add the arborio rice grains and stir to coat.
Add white wine and simmer till evaporated. Then begin to add the simmering chicken stock ladle by ladle.
When it is halfway cooked, add ¾ of the marinated tomatoes.
The chicken stuffed peppers have gone 45 minutes. Turn on the broiler and add some provolone to the top. Broil for 5 minutes (if that)
Oh yea!
When the risotto is finished, remove from heat and add these things.
This was a great pairing. They went well together.
Our guests visiting from New England. What’s that stain on ya shirt?
Chicken recipe.
1 lb Arborio riceTomatoesBasilParmesanCrumbly ricotta or a mild goat cheese.Minced onionsOreganoChile powderButterOlive oilRed wine vinegarAt least 5 cups of chicken stock. add some water if you need more volume.White wine
Marinade the tomatoes in red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.Preheat oven to 350. Crumble cheese onto baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, oregano, and chile powder. Roast for 10 minutes or until browned around edges.Bring stock to a simmerPlace onions in pot and sweat for 10 minutes.Add rice and stir to coat.Add one cup white wine. Simmer until evaporated.Add one cup of the simmering stock at a time. Stir until evaporated, then repeat.When it is halfway done, add ¾ of the tomatoes.When it is finished, add the rest of the tomatoes, parmesan, basil, roasted feta, and butter. Stir until incorporated. Serve
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