Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs

I think this is the perfect dish to return to my blog. I have made this about 3 times since I first tried it. The whole family loves it, it couldnt be easier and I have created other dishes using these awesome little meatballs. I think this recipe will replace the meatballs in my Italian Wedding Soup. I am working on an appetizer recipe ala chicken parm on a stick. I'll keep you posted. I wont wait until the verdict, to tell you that I LOVE this recipe. It was really flavorful and I really loved these meatballs. I liked my version better since I dont have time to be frying meatballs and it made them healthier to bake them. I dont think it really changed the recipe. I also liked how the little mozzarella balls slightly melted. Now that I see this recipe I need to make it again this week. YUM!

**I also apologize for the weird formatting. I am still getting the hang of MAC and how things are a bit different.

Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatball

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis, 2008

4 to 6 servings (about 60 mini meatballs or 30 medium sized)

Ingredients

• 1 pound orecchiette pasta
• 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 3/4 cup grated Romano
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock, hot
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 8 ounces bocconcini mozzarella, halved
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, ketchup, Romano cheese, and the salt and pepper.

Add the chicken and gently stir to combine.

Using a melon baller (or a teaspoon measure)(or spoon to scoop), form the chicken mixture into 3/4-inch pieces. With damp hands, roll the chicken pieces into mini meatballs.

Add the chicken stock and tomatoes to a large saute pan

Bring to a boil.

Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan.

Reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes are soft add meatballs and simmer about 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water.

Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl and add the Parmesan.

Toss to lightly coat orecchiette, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta.

Add the meatball mixture, mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup of the basil.

Gently toss to combine. Garnish with the chopped basil

Chicken Stew

I REALLY REALLY wanted to post about the most delicious dinner I made tonight BUT I got it from the newest issue of the Rachel Ray Magazine and they don't put them online for 2 weeks and I really don't feel like typing it all out....HOW lazy have I become. So I will take this chance to post a recipe I made over the weekend and wasn't going to blog about because I didn't take a picture of it. I am using their lame-O picture because quite frankly I don't think you would have all that impressed with my picture either. I found this recipe in my "to make" file when I had about a 1/2 hour to get dinner on the table and 3 small chicken breasts.


Chicken Stew
borrowed from Giada with a few small changes of my own

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces
1 carrot, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces **I didn't have fresh I used a tsp. dried**
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 chicken breast with ribs (about 1 1/2 pounds total) **I used boneless**
1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained (rinsed if not organic)
Serving suggestion: crusty bread

Directions
Heat the oil in a heavy 5 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat.
Add the celery, carrot, and onion.
Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.
Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes.
Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5 minutes.
Discard the bay leaf.
Add the kidney beans to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.
Discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts.
Shred or cut the chicken into bite- size pieces.
Return the chicken meat to the stew.
Bring the stew just to a simmer.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle the stew into serving bowls and serve with the bread.

VERDICT
BRAVO for the quick, healthy and yummy meals. It took hardly anytime at all, was really filling, and it got the job done. This is going to stay in my recipe circulation because it used so many things I keep in the pantry and always have hanging around in the fridge. The leftovers were very tasty also. It wasn't a 5 star all out gourmet meal but it was awesome for the effort involved and had a lot of really nice flavor to it.

Chicken Saltimbocca--almost

It's "almost" because I am just reading the recipe and I don't have any Prosciutto!!!

Well at least I am realizing this now instead of later.

I thought I would be crafty and get all the bones of this post out of the way and after I make it I can give you a picture and the verdict......saving time is every women's goal right.

Well might as well give it a whirl without.

sorry for the lame picture I was late getting dinner on the table and the kids weren't amused so I just shot it and then ate it :)

Chicken Saltimbocca

borrowed from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
6 (3-ounce) chicken cutlets, pounded to evenly flatten ***I used 4 because we didn't need 6***
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 paper-thin slices prosciutto **oops how did I forget this?**

1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan + 2 tablespoons
1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

optional--I also added 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella to the spinach mixture

Directions
Place the chicken cutlets flat on the work surface.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

Lay 1 slice of prosciutto atop each chicken cutlet.
Squeeze the frozen spinach to remove the excess water.

Season the spinach with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, toss the spinach with 1 tablespoon of oil to coat.
Arrange an even, thin layer of spinach atop the prosciutto slices.

Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over each.

Beginning at the short tapered end, roll up each chicken cutlet as for a jellyroll.

Secure with a toothpick.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat.

Add the chicken and cook just until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

Add the chicken broth and lemon juice, and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Bring the liquid to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium.

Cover and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a platter.

Simmer the cooking liquid over high heat until it is reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Season the cooking liquid with salt and pepper, to taste.

Remove toothpicks from the chicken.

Drizzle the reduced cooking liquid over the chicken and serve immediately.

VERDICT

The recipe was great even without the prosciutto. I might not even add it next time. It got a rave review from my chief taste tester aka Doug. He said I made some really great dinners this week, so I guess Ina and Giada really do know their stuff. You should use a stainless pan to make this and not non-stick. You will get a better brown on the chicken and it will flavor the sauce more. I loved the sauce as is and could see using it for other chicken dishes too. I did thicken it with some cornstarch though. I tablespoon of water with 1 tsp of cornstarch added. I might even increase that next time to thicken it even more. I liked slicing it and letting the sauce sink into the spinach. The sauce was REALLY good. Yes it is a pain to pound out the chicken, and it was kind of a pain to roll it up too. It is nice to do every once in awhile though. I could see making this for company because it does look pretty impressive rolled up like that. Cooking it was pretty easy and quick though once you got it all rolled up.

TRI-COLORE ORZO

WOW! Is all I can say
I have always considered myself a pretty decent cook. But lately with the aid of several cooking blogs I have made some incredible food. I cant take credit for the recipes and I am merely following their directions but there is something really satisfying about making a dish that tastes like something you would pay for in a restaurant or that I could serve to other people and have them be impressed. I have really upped my game in the past 2 weeks. Tonight's meal is no exception. I can not believe how happy it makes me that I can make this salad anytime I want and don't have to pay for it in a restaurant or deli. Its really the little things in life that make me happy and this salad makes me HAPPY!!!

TRI-COLORE ORZO
borrowed from Cooking This and That taken from Giada De Laurentiis


INGREDIENTS
Tri-Colore Orzo
Makes 6-8 servings ****I halved the recipe for a side dish for 2 people with 2 more big servings leftover.****as is would A LOT of pasta
1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup **I only used 3 tbsp. total to drizzle-none other added after that and it was plenty of oil**
2 cups fresh arugula (about 3 ounces)
3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese (or feta cheese)
1/2 cup dried cherries **I used dried cranberries**
12 fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Drain pasta and put the pasta on a large cookie sheet covered in foil to make the clean-up really easy. ***This step makes all the difference. I had no idea that this is how you prevent orzo from turning into a giant lump of mush***
• Drizzle the pasta with 3 tablespoons olive oil, toss, spread out, and set aside to cool
  Once the orzo is cool, transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine. Serve.

VERDICT

I don't always ask my Chief Taste Tester what he thinks to see if he will mention anything about dinner (since he has been working very hard and we don't eat together). I waited tonight and then he said it was "delicious". I don't even know how else to describe this salad. I cant wait to eat the leftovers if that means anything. It would be so great with some grilled chicken thrown in too. I just made it as a side dish for some chicken cutlets and it was definitely the star of the dish. I normally wouldn't have opted to make something from Giada because I kind of find her annoying but I am totally rethinking my bias against her and am going to see what other yummy dishes she has in her kitchen. Make this salad and bring it to someones house and you will be hailed a genius---