Easy Italian Chicken

This Italian chicken dish is easy to prepare and to cook. The marinade transforms this basic chicken dish into a great, fast dinner.

Serving: 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless breasts of chicken
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can of French cut green beans
approximately 1 1/2 cups Italian salad dressing

Direction:

1. Put some of the dressing on the bottom of a glass casserole dish.

2. Add the chicken and cover it with the rest of the dressing.

3. Drain the beans and tomatoes and add them to the dish. Cover with lid.

4. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes on 325 degrees, until the chicken is tender. It will be marinated with the dressing which makes a delicious, quick and easy meal.

Based on individual serving.
Calories: 340
Total Fat: 23 g
Carbohydrates: 5 g
Protein: 28 g

Romanian Culinary Art

By: Keith Londrie

When you say Romania, you start thinking of Transylvania and count Dracula. But what few people know is that Romania is a country with a great landscape and a great tradition in the art of cooking.

This country was occupied by many conquerors like the Romans, Greeks and Turks. This is why many of the recipes have ancient roots. Even today this tradition in cooking remained. Every region in Romania has its specific specialties.

So if you go to the mountain side don't stay at the hotel. We suggest you take a room in one of the locals villa. Villa managers are serving all sorts of traditional foods and you won't regret it. Hospitality is at high price in their houses.

On the menu we have the original all times favorite: Sarmale. Sarmale is a recipe that takes a lot of time to prepare. For the result to be outstanding, the dish must be prepared a long time before. Locals usually take fresh cabbage and put it in a barrel along with water and salt. They add all sorts of aromatic herbs like basil for example. The cabbage is left to soak in the salted water for about 3-4 months. This operation usually begins at the beginning of autumn so the cabbage is ready by Christmas.

Most Romanians will say that Sarmale are great during holidays. Once the cabbage is ready, a mixture of rice and minced meat will be prepared. Then they take parts of the composition the size of a meat ball and roll them in a cabbage leaf. Out of a bowl of meat and a cabbage you should get about 20 Sarmale. These are then cooked in the oven for almost an hour. Tomato sauce can make wonders to them while cooking. If you want to try this at home don't forget to spice the meat. They should be served warm with traditional bread. A glass of Palinca is also welcome. Palinca is a traditional drink similar to whiskey. The difference is that Palinca has plum flavor.

The middle of the country is also famous for the cheese. If you happen to come that way try some of the cheese. You will find it deliciously divine.

Another thing Romanians are renowned for is soup (ciorba). Their soups are extremely good especially served with hot peppers soaked in vinegar.

The most traditional food of Romania is Mamaliga (corn mush). They serve it hot with cheese, butter and yogurt. Combining this with sarmale and Tuica (grape brandy) will turn out to be a memorable culinary experience.

If you ever find a course of Romanian culinary art don't miss it because it will help you understand a lot of things of an unknown but happy place here on the planet. You can find and taste Romanian food in many restaurants all over the world well known for their great food and atmosphere. Don't worry if you don't find a place where you can learn how to cook Romanian style or other desired styles because there are a lot of books that will help you learn how too cook and maybe apply your knowledge in your own restaurant afterwards.

Keith Londrie II is a successful Webmaster and the owner and publisher of define-culinary-arts-program-schools-restaurant-management.info/ A website that specializes in providing tips on Culinary arts that you can research on the internet. Visit define-culinary-arts-program-schools-restaurant-management.info/ today!

Italian Basic Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions or thinly sliced leeks (whites only)
1 cup thinly sliced celery
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 (14.5 ounce) cans reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
8 cups mixed fresh or frozen vegetables, such as carrots, corn, green beans, lima beans, peas, potatoes, and zucchini (cut larger vegetables into smaller pieces)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions or leeks, celery, and Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, 5 to 8 minutes.
2. Add broth, tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, and 3 cups water to pot; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, 20 minutes.
3. Add vegetables to pot, and return to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Let cool before storing.
4. Pour remaining soup in small batches into bowl of a food processor; carefully puree until smooth, and return to saucepan. Stir in cream; season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the reserved mushrooms, and serve hot.

Yield: 8 servings

NOTE:
This basic soup can be made with any combination of fresh or frozen vegetables, so it will taste a little different each time.

French Onion Soup Gratinee

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 (48 fluid ounce) can chicken broth
1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 thick slices French or Italian bread
8 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese slices, room temperature
1/2 cup shredded Asiago or mozzarella cheese, room temperature
4 pinches paprika

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, red onions and sweet onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy.

2. Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine and Worcestershire sauce into pot. Bundle the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and place in pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the herbs. Reduce the heat to low, mix in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread.
3. Preheat oven broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 3 minutes, turning once, until well toasted on both sides. Remove from heat; do not turn off broiler.
4. Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, 2 slice Gruyere cheese and 1/4 of the Asiago or mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the top of each one.
5. Broil 5 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will cascade over the sides of the crock and form a beautifully melted crusty seal. Serve immediately!

Italian dessert - Iced soft chestnut cream with persimmon sauce

Iced soft chestnut cream with persimmon sauce
(Semifreddo di marroni con crema di cachi)

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Semifreddo:
9 oz. chestnut cream in a jar
1 pint whipping cream
2 egg whites
1-1/2 oz. sugar
1/2 oz. gelatin in sheets, or equivalent (not essential)
zucchero

Direction

Soften the gelatin in cold water for 20 minutes, then melt it into 2-3 heated tablespoons of the chestnut cream. Beat the chilled whipping cream into stiff peaks then fold into the chestnut/gelatin mixture. Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks and mix with the sugar dissolved in a bit of water. Add gently to the chestnut mixture. Pour into individual molds which have been dipped in cold water. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 4 hours.

Ingredients

For the sauce:
2 ripe persimmons (replaceable with cherry syrup)
lemon juice
1 T. sugar

Direction

While the cream is chilling, peel and seed the persimmons. Puree the pulp together with the lemon juice and sugar and chill. Tip the cream cups out on individual dessert plates and drizzle with the persimmon sauce.

Italian New Year Recipe - Parmesan Chicken

INGREDIENTS

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter
Good olive oil
Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows

DIRECTIONS

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.


Lemon Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Yield: 6 servings