Quick chicken pasta with store bought marinara, veggies, wine, olive and capers

• 6 chicken drumsticks, extra skin removed, seasoned with salt and pepper
• few TBSP olive/caper/sun-dried tomato mix
• store bought marinara
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• few cups of veggies you have on hand-zucchini, mushrooms, red pepper, eggplant spinach all work well
• dried oregano and thyme to taste
• bit of chicken broth to moisten
• 1/2 cup white or red wine (optional)

1. Brown chicken on all sides, then remove from pan
2. Add garlic and more hearty veggies that need more time to cook (red peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini), add more fragile veggies at a later time to ensure that they cook through but aren’t overdone.  Add salt/pepper to veggies once they start to brown
3. Once veggies are half way done, add broth and wine (if using), then the add marinara sauce and olive mixture. Add chicken back in to finish cooking in the covered pan.  Cook till chicken is done
4. Serve over pasta or grilled veggie

Braised Chicken with White Wine, Mushroom, Cauliflower, Tomato and Olive Tapenade over Pasta

• 1 package of bone-in chicken parts (I used 4 drumsticks and 2 breasts, split)
• 14 oz chicken broth
• 2 large spoonfuls of tomato and olive tapenade (Mediterranean Tapenade from Costco)
• 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 c white wine
• small bunch parsley chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic minced
• 3 carrots halved lengthwise, then cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 head small cauliflower
• 8 oz mushrooms cut into large chunks
• dried rosemary
• dried thyme

1. Bring oil-coated cast iron enamel skillet (with lid) to med-high heat
2. Brown chicken on all sides
3. Remove chicken and some of the fat
4. Add leeks and garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute
5. Add vegetables and sauté for a few minutes until no liquid remains
6. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute
7. Add white wine and allow to bubble, then add chicken broth.  Season to taste
8. Add rosemary and thyme
9. Reintroduce chicken.  Nestle them into the sauce.
10. Cover pan and allow to simmer until chicken is cooked
11. Once the chicken is cooked, removed the chicken from the pan.  Allow the sauce to concentrate and thicken as needed.  Season to taste.
12. Thicken the sauce with a little cornstarch if needed
13. Add the chicken back and serve over noodles.

Antipasta Pasta Salad

Another potluck to celebrate a holiday at work….makes working during a long weekend a lot more bearable.  If you are looking for a pasta salad that you can make ahead of time and isn’t drenched in mayo, look no further!  A trick to lessen the greasiness from the meat is to microwave it for a bit to render out some of the fat.  The key to good flavor is to salt the pasta cooking water and dress the pasta when it is still hot from cooking.

You can use any vegetables you’d like.  The original recipe included on prepared/cooked vegetables.  I like the addition of fresh veggies like the tomatoes and cucumbers to lighten up the salad for the hot weather.  Raw broccoli florets cut into small pieces and roasted veggies like eggplant or zucchini would work well too.

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

10 TBSP red wine vinegar, divided

3 TBSP mayonnaise

6 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP juice from jar of pepperoncinis

4 cloves finely minced garlic

1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

8oz package of button/brown mushrooms, quartered

12oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped into chunks

1/2 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

About a dozen marinated pepperoncinis, chopped with 1 TBSP juice reserved

1 cup shredded mozarella cheese

4-6 oz sliced pepperoni, salami or other cured meat, sliced into 1/4 inch strips

1 jar olives

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cucumber chopped into chunks the size of the halved tomatoes

1 large handful basil, chiffonade

1 ld bite sized pasta (penne, bowties, fusilli)

Boil 4 quarts of water, 1 TBSP salt and pasta until al dente according to the package instructions.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing.

Whisk 5 TBSP red wine vinegar and the rest of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside 1/2 cup of dressing, adding the remaining 5 TBSP red wine vinegar to the reserved dressing.  This will be used to dress the hot pasta.  The rest will be used to cook the mushrooms.

Drain the cooked pasta well and return to the pot.  Add the 1/2 cup of reserved dressing with added red wine vinegar to the hot pasta and mix well.  Adjust seasoning to taste.  Lay pasta out on foil-lined baking sheet and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, add the remaining dressing and simmer on med-high heat.  Add mushrooms and cook until tender (around 5-8 minutes).  Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon and allow to cool.

Place cured meat on a paper towel-lined plate as a single layers, topping each layer with paper towels.  Microwave for about 60 seconds.  Blot grease and set aside until you are read to assemble the salad

Once the pasta has cooled to slightly warmer than room temperature, use a big bowl to assemble the salad.  Combine the dressed pasta, cured meats, vegetables and cheese.  Add the basil last to prevent over handling and bruising.  Season to preference.

Serve at room temperature.  Can be prepared a few days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.