Vesuvius Chicken

Vesuvius Chicken

Ingredients  

3 tablespoons olive oil 

4 chicken thighs with skin and bones 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1 1/2 pounds small red-skinned potatoes, halved 

4 large garlic cloves, minced 

3/4 cup dry white wine 

3/4 cup chicken broth 

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 

1 teaspoon dried thyme 

8 ounces frozen artichoke hearts or 1 cup frozen lima beans, thawed 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter.  

Directions:  

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Heat the oil in large ovenproof pot over high heat. 

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches if necessary, cook the chicken in the pot until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. 

Transfer the chicken to a bowl. Carefully add the potatoes to the same pot and cook until they are golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. 

Add the wine and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the broth, oregano, and thyme. Return the chicken to the pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. 

Transfer the chicken to a platter. Arrange the potatoes around chicken. Add the artichoke hearts to the sauce in the pot. Cover and simmer over high heat until the artichokes are tender, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Turn heat to low. Stir in the butter. Pour the sauce over chicken and potatoes, and serve.

Prosciuitto And Burrata Pizza

Prosciutto and Burrata Pizza

Burrata is fresh mozzarella that is stuffed with the threads of cheese that develop in the process of making the cheese.  This is authentic Italian Pizza.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Ingredients:
16 ounces pizza dough or my recipe of "Perfect Pizza Crust" published 6/3/2020.
1 28-ounce can whole peeled plum tomatoes in juice, such as San Marzano
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for crust
8 ounces burrata cheese
4 slices prosciutto
1 bunch fresh basil
Flour and/or cornmeal for rolling dough
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Place upside-down baking sheet or pizza stone on bottom rack of oven and preheat to 500° F or as high as it will go.

2. Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature for approximately 20 minutes.

3. In a blender, combine tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth.

4. Prepare a smooth flat surface (a cutting board, baking sheet, etc.) with generous amounts of flour and cornmeal. Flour hands and roll or stretch dough as thin as possible without overworking.

5. Brush the edges of the dough with olive oil and spread a thin layer of sauce on the rest. Break up burrata with hands and evenly distribute. Do the same with prosciutto.

6. Carefully open oven and slide prepared pizza onto hot stone. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until edges of crust are golden brown and cheese is lightly bubbling. Remove from oven and top with sprigs of fresh basil. Serves 2–4.

Steamed Clams In Foil Pouches

One of my favorites is steamed clams cooked in white wine, garlic, and oil topped with some fresh herbs. This is something I love ordering when I go out to eat but making this at home is easier than you think and with more control of how much butter is added. Serve this as a light lunch or appetizer with a piece of whole wheat crusty bread to soak up the juice and enjoy.

There is a little bit of prep work involved before you can cook them. Clams should always be cooked alive and you should cook them the same day you buy them. Discard any clams with broken shells before you clean them. To clean them, place them in a medium bowl of clean, fresh water to soak for an hour. Because clams filter water through their systems, putting them in freshwater helps clear out the salt and sand that they store inside. Adding a few tablespoons of cornmeal to the water will help clean the clams more thoroughly. After they soak, rinse the clams with freshwater and scrub the outside shell. Now they are ready for cooking.

• If they aren’t open when cooked, add a few more minutes to the cook time.
• Once cooked, discard any clams that don’t open.
• Garlic, oil and white wine is the best liquid for steaming clams, in my opinion. If you prefer not to use wine, you can omit, there will still be plenty of liquid from the vegetables.
• You can easily double or triple this recipe.

Ingredients:

Reynolds Wrap Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil

10 ounce 1 medium zucchini, cut 1-inch pieces

5 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 clove garlic, sliced

3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

20 littleneck or cherrystone clams

1 tablespoon dry white wine

crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Directions:

Tear off an 18” sheet of Heavy Duty foil.

• Center the food on the foil sheet.
• Bring up the long sides of the foil, so the ends meet over the food.
• Double fold the ends, leaving room for heat to circulate inside.
• Double fold the two short ends to seal the packet.
• Grill covered directly on the flame according to directions.
• To bake in the oven, preheat oven to 425F and cook until the shells open, 8 to 10 minutes.