Polla alla Cacciatore

Another good recipe..easy, quick and so yummy!

3 tablespoons of olive oil
4 slices of bacon, diced in small cubes
3 to 4 cups of cubed boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 shallot, chopped small
4 cloves of garlic, chopped small
2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning..I use Pampered Chef Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup white wine...I used Pinot Grigo
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 cans drained, but not rinsed...Cannelini white beans ( a white kidney bean)
Fresh Basil
fresh parmaean raggiano grated

Preheat your stovetop to medium high heat...add your olive oil and the bacon..cook until crisp...drain off all of the grease except about a tablespoon. Season the diced chicken with the salt and pepper...add to the bacon and grease....cook 4 minutes or so turning the chicken and then add the shallot and garlic and the Italian seasoning...cook for another 3 to 4 minutes...add the white wine and scrape all the good meat bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook until reduced in half...then add the crushed tomatoes...stir and add the beans....cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes until warmed through....at the end...add...4-6 torn fresh basil leaves to the pan....you can grate some fresh parmasean raggiano...if you like cheese, but you don't have to...you can serve this over your favorite rice or pasta but I love it by itself..the translation for this dish...Polla alla Cacciatore is Hunter's Chicken Stew... it is hearty and delicous ..Definitely have to serve with a hearty Italian bread to soak up the juices....
Love from the Redhead's Kitchen

Butternut Squash soup

1 3-4 lb. butter nut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
2 macintosh apples, peeled, seeded and cut into same size chunks
2 sweet onions, peeled and cut inot chunks
4 cloves of garlic, peeld and left whole

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Place the chunked vegies on a cookie sheet and drizzle 3 tbs olive oil. Generously salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes. On stovetop, place soup pan and add 2 to 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock. Add the vegies to your soup pan. With immersion blender, careful not to burn yourself blend until the consistency you want.

You can also put the vegies into a food processor and blend them this way before adding them to the chicken stock. Combine and if you feel it is too thick...add a little more chicken stock. Heat until cooked through. Add fresh grated nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

For a variation of this soup, you can omit the nutmeg and add 1/2 teaspoon curry powder to make a sweet and savory soup. Garnish this soup with scallions and toasted cashews. Love from the Redhead's kitchen

A T-Bone and Salad

Chris was feeling like a steak tonight and since he has such a hard time eating anymore...I made him one....

My secret to a good steak is to put your grill pan on medium high....let the pan heat up without any oil...Make sure your steak has been sitting out for a little while so you don't shock the cold steak

Then take your steak and drizzle a little olive oil on one side and lightly rub on Montreal Steak seasoning on one side....When the grill pan heats up, place the seasoned side down on the grill pan and set your timer for 8 minutes...don't touch it...season the side up with a drizzle of olive oil and a little more Montreal steak seasoning. When the timer goes off..turn it over and set the timer again for 6 minutes...this will make a delicious medium rare steak...Yum

I tossed some arulgula lettuce with pitted kalamato olives and sliced tomato and scallions....I made a vinagerett with 2 tbs. fresh lemon juice, 2 tbs. white wine vinegar and 1/3 cup olive oil and salt and pepper and tossed it....simple and fresh

Served with some crusty bread drizzled in olive oil....Enjoy

The Little Chef...

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

8 roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
2 red bell peppers, quartered and seeded
8 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
2 sweet onions, peeled and quartered
2 teapsoons fresh thyme
Place vegetables on a cookie sheet
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over vegetables and toss to coat evenly
Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes until they have a nice charred look
In a soup pot on medium heat, add 6 ounces tomato paste with 2 tablesoons of olive oil
Pour roasted vegetables in the soup pot and add 4 cups of vegetable stock and 2 cups of chicken stock. Turn up the heat and when it starts to boil, turn down to simmer for 20 minutes. In batches add to a blender or food processor ( careful not to splash and burn yourself ) You can also use an immersion blender carefully keeping the immersion blender down in the soup until you get the consistency you like. Take a bunch of fresh basil leaves and roll them up and cut into little ribbons. Garnish your bowls of soup with the basil. Serve with a crusty loaf of bread. Enjoy...Love from the Redhead's kitchen