Carino's: Chef's Corner

To kick off Sweetheart's Month (February), I made a special 'home version' recipe of my Chicken Marsala for those of you that want to do some cooking for your special someone.  Here is the recipe that I cooked on Good Day Austin (Fox Channel 7) this morning.  Enjoy!

Sweet Chicken Marsala with Garlic Wilted Spinach - Serves 2 - Pan sauteed chicken breast and mushrooms reduced in a sweet marsala wine sauce, served with fresh spinach wilted in hot olive oil and garlic.

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast, 8 Ounce, 'Butterflied'                                  2 each

Butter, Melted                                                                           2 ounces

Flour, All Purpose                                                                     as needed

Mushrooms, Sliced                                                                2 cups

Salt and Pepper                                                                       to taste

Marsala Wine, Sweet                                                              6 ounces

Broth or Demi-Glace, Chicken or Beef                                  4 ounces

Butter, Room Temperature                                                    1/8 cup

Olive Oil                                                                                      2 ounces

Garlic, Fresh Chopped                                                           2 tsp

Spinach, Fresh                                                                      4 cups

Salt and Pepper                                                                     to taste

1.     Work area and utensils should be clean and sanitary.

2.     Cut butterflied chicken breasts into half, yielding a total of four chicken breast medllions.  Place on sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Chicken medallions should be fully cooked, set aside.

3.     To a heated saute pan, add melted butter.  Dredge chicken medallions in flour, shake off excess flour and add to saute pan.  Add mushrooms, salt and pepper.

4.     Saute chicken and mushrooms until thoroughy heated and golden brown.  Add marsala wine and broth/demi-glace.  Reduce by 50% and then add room temperature butter, let butter reduce into the wine/broth reduction until a thickened sauce forms.

5.     To prepare Wilted Spinach:  Add olive oil and garlic to a heated saute pan.  Once oil is hot and garlic starts to turn golden brown, turn off heat and add spinach slat and pepper.  Toss with olive oil until it becomes warm and starts to wilt.

6.     Place wilted spinach on the side of a plate.  Using tongs, remove the chicken medallions from saute pan nd place next to spinach.  Pour marsala sauce and mushrooms over chicken.  Serve and enjoy!

Italian sausage, ham, bacon, pepperoni, green bell peppers, onions with bowtie pasta in a zesty meat sauce, topped with asiago and parmesan cheeses – A Carino’s Italian classic.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

Olive Oil                                                                                    2 Tbsp

Garlic, Fresh Chopped                                                                 2 tsp

Italian Sausage, Cooked and Sliced 1/4"                                        1/2 cup

Ham, Diced                                                                                1/2 cup

Bacon, Chopped 1/4"                                                                  1/2 cup

Pepperoni, Chopped                                                                    1/4 cup

Green Bell Peppers, Diced 1/2"                                                     1/4 cup

Yellow Onions, Diced 1/2"                                                           1/4 cup

Salt and Pepper                                                                          to taste

Meat Sauce                                                                                20 ounces volume

Bowtie Pasta, Dry                                                                       20 ounces weight

Asiago Cheese, Shredded                                                            1/4 cup

Parmesan Cheese, Shredded                                                        1/4 cup

1. Grill Italian sausage until done.  Cool and slice into 1/4” pieces.
2. Add olive oil to a large sauté pan at medium heat.  Once oil is heated, add garlic, sausage, ham, bacon, pepperoni, green bell peppers, yellow onions, salt and pepper.  Sauté until bacon is cooked, peppers and onions are soft.
3. Add meat sauce to sauté pan.
4. Cook penne pasta according to package directions.  Drain excess water and then toss pasta with contents of sauté pan.
5. Place Five Meat Tuscan Pasta into designated serving plateware, garnish with Asiago and Parmesan cheeses and enjoy!   

Download a printable PDF here. 

Carinos Five Meat Tuscan Pasta.pdf (98.69 kb)

Succulent shrimp, delicious artichoke hearts, fresh roma tomatoes, chopped garlic, tangy capers, fresh basil, black olives and parmesan cheese tossed with angel hair pasta.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

Angel Hair Pasta, Cooked                                                            12 ounces

Olive Oil, Extra Virgin                                                                  3 ounces

Garlic, Fresh Chopped                                                                 1 tsp

Shrimp, 16-20 Count Size                                                            14 each

Artichokes Hearts, Quartered                                                       1 cup           

Roma Tomatoes, Diced                                                               1 cup

Black Olives, Chopped                                                                 1 cup

Capers                                                                                      4 Tbsp

Salt                                                                                           ½ tsp

Pepper                                                                                      ½ tsp

Basil, Fresh Julienne                                                                    ¼ cup

Parmesan, Shredded                                                                   2 Tbsp

Parsley, Fresh Chopped                                                               garnish

1. Cook angel hair according to directions on package, 12 ounces should yield approximately 20 ounces of cooked pasta.
2. To a medium heated sauté pan, add olive oil, garlic, shrimp and artichokes.  Let shrimp cook and let garlic turn a golden color to develop flavor.
3. Add tomatoes, black olives, capers, salt and pepper to sauté pan.  Let ingredients thoroughly heat while mixing.
4. Remove from heat and add toss in fresh basil.
5. Place cooked angel hair in a mound on service plate and top with ingredients from sauté pan.
6. Garnish with parmesan and parsley, enjoy!

Download a printable PDF here.

Carinos Angel Hair Artichokes Shrimp.pdf (67.05 kb)

Pan sautéed chicken breast deglazed with aged balsamic vinegar and topped with shredded parmesan cheese. Served with angel hair pasta tossed with fresh Roma tomatoes, spinach and garlic.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

Flour                                                                                         2 cups

Salt & Pepper                                                                             to taste

Olive Oil, Extra Virgin                                                                  3 ounces

Chicken, 8 oz Breast, Butterflied                                                   4 each

Balsamic Vinegar                                                                        12 ounces

Olive Oil, Extra Virgin                                                                  2 oz

Garlic, Fresh Chopped                                                                 2 tsp

Spinach, Fresh Baby Leaf                                                             3 cups

Roma Tomatoes, Diced ½”                                                          1 cup

Angel Hair Pasta, Dry                                                                  10 oz weight

Parmesan Cheese, Shredded                                                        2 Tbsp

1. Season flour with salt and pepper.  Cut chicken breast in half yielding 4 ounce medallions.
2. Add olive oil to a heated sauté pan.  Dust chicken with flour and sauté in oil until cooked.  Add balsamic vinegar and let reduce around chicken until there is no liquid left in the pan.
3. To another heated sauté pan, add 2 ounces of olive oil, 2 tsp of chopped garlic, spinach, diced roma tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.  Sauté until spinach is cooked and garlic is heated.  Do not burn the garlic.
4. Cook angel hair pasta according to package directions.  Drain excess water and then toss pasta with tomatoes and spinach in the sauté pan and reserve for plating. 
5. Plate the pasta on the designated service plate ware and overlap each chicken breast over the pasta.  Garnish both the balsamic chicken and pasta with parmesan and enjoy!

Download the printable PDF here.

Carinos Chicken Balsamico.pdf (66.67 kb)

A marinated and grilled chicken breast deglazed with fresh lemon and rosemary. Served with angel hair pasta tossed with fresh Roma tomatoes, spinach and garlic.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Chicken, 8 oz Breast                                                                    4 each

Italian Vinaigrette Dressing                                                          2 cups

Rosemary, Fresh Chopped 1/8”                                                    2 tsp

Lemon, Fresh                                                                             1 each

Salt & Pepper                                                                             to taste

Olive Oil, Extra Virgin                                                                  2 oz

Garlic, Fresh Chopped                                                                 2 tsp

Spinach, Fresh Baby Leaf                                                             3 cups

Roma Tomatoes, Diced ½”                                                          1 cup

Angel Hair Pasta, Dry                                                                  10 oz weight

Parmesan Cheese, Shredded                                                        2 tsp

Rosemary Sprig, 2”                                                                     4 each

Lemon Wheels, Thin Sliced                                                          4 each

1. Using a sharp knife, lay the chicken breast on its side and place a cut through the center of the breast going from side to side.  Do not cut all the way through, leaving enough of the chicken breast connected so that you can open up the breast to ‘butterfly’ it creating a heart-shaped breast.  Marinate the 4 chicken breasts in 1 cup of the vinaigrette dressing for a few hours before preparing the meal. 
2. To a heated grill, place all chicken breasts down to form grill marks.  Turn the chicken after 2 to 3 minutes to form diamond grill marks.  Repeat this process to cook both sides of each chicken breast.  Cook the chicken to 165 Degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds.
3. To a medium heated large sauté pan add the remaining 8 oz of vinaigrette dressing, chopped rosemary, juice from one lemon and salt and pepper to taste.  Place the fully cooked chicken breasts in the sauté pan and allow the dressing to slowly glaze over the chicken on medium heat.  There should be no dressing left in the pan, it should be fully glazed onto the chicken breast.
4. To another heated sauté pan, add 2 ounces of olive oil, 2 tsp of chopped garlic, spinach, diced roma tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.  Sauté until spinach is cooked and garlic is heated.  Do not burn the garlic.
5. Cook angel hair pasta according to package directions.  Drain excess water and then toss pasta with tomatoes and spinach in the sauté pan and reserve for plating. 
6. Plate the pasta on the designated service plate ware and overlap each chicken breast over the pasta.  Garnish each glazed chicken breast with a thinly sliced lemon wheel and rosemary sprig and enjoy!

Download a printable PDF here.

Carinos Lemon Rosemary Chicken.pdf (69.63 kb)