Filippo’s Chicken Cutlets with Marsala and Mushrooms

  • Heat 1/4 cup oil in 12- to 14-inch sauté pan; cook mushrooms until liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper; transfer to bowl. Reserve pan.
  • Cut visible fat from chicken; use mallet to pound to even 1/8-inch thickness. Place flour in plate; season with salt and pepper. Dredge each chicken cutlet in flour mixture, coating well and shaking off excess; place on baking sheet.
  • Heat remaining olive oil and butter in reserved pan set over medium-high heat; brown cutlets, in batches, on both sides. Add to mushroom mixture.
  • If pan is dry, add a little more olive oil; increase heat to high. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits; cook until reduced by half. Stir in lemon juice. Return chicken, mushrooms and any accumulated juices to pan. Cook until heated through; add parsley and serve immediately.

 

Tip: Ask your butcher to pound the chicken breasts into cutlets if desired.

 

Recipe provided by Chef Mary Ann Esposito

Filippo’s Beef Short Ribs Ragu with Rigatoni

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Season ribs all over with salt and pepper. Brown, in batches, until golden brown all over. Transfer to a shallow dish. Drain fat, reserving 2 tbsp in Dutch oven.
  • Reduce heat to medium. Add pancetta; cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in onion, carrots and fennel. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened. Stir in garlic; cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
  • Add mushrooms; cook for 2 minutes or until slightly softened. Increase heat to medium-high. Pour in 1/3 cup wine; simmer for 3 minutes or until almost completely evaporated. Stir in red pepper flakes and oregano.
  • Return ribs to pan. Stir in tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and remaining wine. Cover with a tight fitting lid or heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until ribs are very tender. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
  • Transfer ribs to a cutting board. Pull meat from bones and cut into small pieces; discard any fat and connective tissues. Return meat to Dutch oven; cook until heated through. Toss with cooked rigatoni. Sprinkle with grated Parmigiano Reggiano before serving.

Tip: This recipe can also be prepared in a slow cooker set to low for 8 to 10 hours. Try using a liner in the slow cooker to save on clean up time.

Fettuccine Bolognese

Bolognese-Style Meat Sauce:

  • Warm oil in Dutch oven set over medium-high heat; stir in celery, onion and carrot to coat with oil. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if vegetables start to brown, for about 10 minutes or until softened. Transfer vegetables to bowl; set aside.
  • Crumble pork into pan; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove with slotted spoon; add to vegetable mixture.
  • Discard fat in pan. Crumble in beef; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes or until no longer pink. Skim off and discard any fat. Add wine; cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Add broth, tomato purée, bay leaf and reserved pork mixture; heat until almost boiling (but do not allow to boil).
  • Reduce heat to low to medium-low so sauce bubbles slightly in center; cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Stir in milk and parsley; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until mixture is thickened. Stir in salt and pepper; discard bay leaf. Keep warm over low heat.

Fettuccine:

    • In large pot of boiling water, cook pasta and salt, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water; return pasta to pot.
    • Add oil to pasta; toss to coat. Add meat sauce; toss over low heat until pasta is coated, adding some of the reserved cooking water, if needed, to loosen sauce. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

 

Tip: The meat sauce can be prepared in advance, cooled and refrigerated for several days or frozen for several weeks. Reheat refrigerated or thawed sauce in a saucepan slowly on stovetop.

 

Recipe Provided by Chef Sharon Sanders

East Meets West Marinated Pork Chops

  • Whisk together orange zest and juice, olive oil, soy sauce and honey until smooth; mix in green onions, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper. Add pork chops; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat grill to medium heat. Remove pork chops from marinade, shaking off excess; discard marinade. Cook pork chops, with lid down, for 5 to 7 minutes per side or until grill-marked, meat is no longer pink inside and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of pork reads 145°F.

 

Tip: Serve these pork chops with an Asian-inspired coleslaw if desired.

 

Recipe provided by Chef Mary Ann Esposito

Devilish Chicken

  • Place chicken breast-side down on plastic cutting board. With poultry shears or boning knife, cut along both sides of backbone; remove and discard bone (or save for stock).
  • Open chicken and press with hands or use meat pounder to flatten. Rub chicken all over with olive oil; sprinkle with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Marinate in refrigerator, covered, for 3 hours or overnight.
  • Preheat grill to high heat (500ºF); grease grate well. Place chicken on grill, breast side down, with lid closed. Grill chicken, turning frequently and basting every 10 minutes with wine, for about 20 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into thighbone reads 175°F to 180ºF. Transfer to cutting board; cut into serving pieces. Serve hot with lemon wedges to squeeze over top.

 

Recipe provided by Chef Mary Ann Esposito

Citrus Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts

  • Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Combine lemon juice, lime juice, garlic, soy sauce, olive oil, tarragon, thyme, pepper and salt; pour over chicken. Shake bag to coat chicken; press out air and seal. Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
  • Remove chicken from refrigerator; let stand in marinade for another 15 minutes.
  • Preheat grill to medium heat; lightly oil grate. Grill chicken for 5 to 7 minutes per side or until instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part reads 160°F.

 

Recipe provided by Jim Coleman

Chicken, Spinach, and Cheese Calzone

  • Prepare Pizza Dough; set aside to rise. Coat large baking sheet with oil; sprinkle with cornmeal.
  • Meanwhile, warm 1 tbsp oil in sauté pan set over medium-high heat; sauté chicken for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until browned; set aside. Reduce heat to medium; stir in remaining oil and onion. Cook, covered, for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden. Add garlic and spinach; cook, covered, for 1 to 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Uncover and cook until liquid has evaporated; remove from heat. Stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg.
  • Punch down dough. Transfer to lightly floured work surface. Divide into 6 equal balls. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 10 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 450°F. Thinly slice chicken. With floured hands or rolling pin, pat or roll dough on lightly floured surface into 8-inch rounds. Beat egg with 1 tbsp water; brush some over edges of dough. Layer Gruyère, chicken, spinach mixture and remaining Gruyère over half of each round. Fold dough over filling until edges almost meet. Pull bottom edges up to overlap top halves by 1/4 inch; pinch securely to seal.
  • Using floured dough scraper, transfer calzone to baking sheet; brush with remaining egg mixture. Bake for 16 minutes or until instant-read thermometer inserted in center of calzone reads 175°F. Let cool on rack for 5 minutes.

 

Tip: 1 lb of thawed frozen commercial bread dough can be used instead of the Pizza Dough recipe if desired.

 

Recipe Provided by Chef Sharon Sanders

Chicken with Olives

  • Stir together olives, garlic, sage and rosemary; place in 9- x 12-inch baking dish. Stir in salt, nutmeg, lemon zest and juice; sprinkle with pepper. Add chicken, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  • Heat olive oil in large sauté pan set over medium-high heat; brown chicken, in single layer, all over. Increase heat to high; stir in wine and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add lemon slices and red pepper during last 10 to 12 minutes of cooking. Serve chicken hot with pan juices.

 

Tip: Keep peeled garlic cloves tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

 

Recipe provided by Chef Mary Ann Esposito

Chicken Kabobs with Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes

  • In glass bowl, whisk together olive oil, parsley, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper; reserve 1 tbsp marinade and set aside separately. Toss chicken, zucchini and tomatoes in remaining marinade until coated; cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
  • Drain chicken mixture, discarding marinade. Alternately thread chicken and vegetables onto skewers, ending with chicken.
  • Preheat grill to medium-high heat; grease grate with olive oil. Close lid and grill, turning frequently and brushing with reserved marinade until chicken is cooked through. (Alternatively, chicken can be broiled.)

 

Tip: Beef top sirloin or top round steak can be substituted for the chicken.

Chicken Fajitas

  • In shallow glass dish, combine olive oil, cilantro, lime juice, lime rind, chili powder and cumin; add chicken, turning to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.
  • Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Preheat grill to medium heat; grease grate well. Grill chicken for 5 minutes; turn and brush with marinade. Grill for 7 to 10 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink inside. Wrap tortillas in foil and heat on grill or in oven during last 5 minutes of cooking time.
  • Thinly slice chicken. Divide chicken, lettuce, Cheddar, tomato, red pepper and onion among tortillas; roll up tortillas. Serve with salsa and guacamole (if using).

 

Recipe provided by Chef Jim Coleman