Sunday Dinners are Back!

Anytime that I am able to in the fall and winter, I spend my Sunday afternoons in the kitchen. It is one of my favorite things to do... I use the time to experiment with a new recipe or an old favorite. Sometimes, I throw a pot of sugo on the stove (sugo=pasta sauce) and let it simmer all day while I make other yummy treats. It was another fall-like weekend last weekend, and although I was out of town, when I returned home all I wanted was a home cooked "Sunday dinner." So, I pulled out a new Rachael Ray racipe and got to work. It took me about 45 minutes to make these dishes and they turned out incredible. Quick-cooking polenta is one of my favorite new dishes, especially as it is prepared in this recipe. It is so versatile! This is definitely a new favorite dinner menu in my house!!! Serve it with a salad and a bottle of Pinot Noir and you are good to go!

Italian Barbecued Chicken with Polenta (serves 4)

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts (on the larger side)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
4 thick cut slices pancetta or bacon, chopped (note: I used two and it was the perfect amount!)
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (don't use the really nice stuff, it reduces so there is no need to)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup tomato sauce (one of the small cans)
2 cups chicken stock, divided (1/2 cup divided from 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup quick cooking polenta (I found this by the instant mashed potatoes)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated Parmiginao Reggiano cheese
Torn fresh basil leaves


Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, poultry seasoning and grill seasoning. Heat 2 tablespoons EVOO in a medium size skillet and brown the chicken a few minutes on each side to put some of its flavor and drippings into the pan. Transfer the chicken to the oven and roast for 15 minutes more, or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, add 1 more tablespoon of EVOO to the pan and cook the pancetta or bacon, if using, until crisp. Add the onion, garlic and rosemary, cook for 5 minutes, then add the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer 5 minutes more.
Bring the remaining 1 1/2 cups stock and milk to a boil, whisk in the polenta and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the polenta for 2-3 minutes until it thickens, stir in the butter and cheese, then remove from the heat.
Remove the chicken from the oven and turn in the barbecue sauce. Fill shallow bowls with polenta. Top the polenta with the chicken, spooning the extra sauce over the chicken and garnishing with some torn basil leaves.

(note: I poured the polenta on a large serving dish (it sets very quickly!), topped it with the chicken breasts and then poured the sauce over the chicken and tore fresh basil over the top - great presentation!)

Courtesy of http://www.rachaelray.com/

Fall is here early....

Here in the Twin Cities, Mother Nature has quickly reminded us that the "unofficial" end of summer (aka Labor Day weekend) has come and gone. The temperatures have been in the 60's this weekend, which gets me very excited for fall cooking and wine drinking! Andrew and I sipped on a 2006 Seghesio Zinfandel yesterday evening and commented how nice it was to drink red wine on a cool night. This red is especially good, spicy with lots of big berry notes exploding in your mouth. Great with something as simple as pizza or as elegant as steak tenderloin. Definitely add a couple of bottles of Seghesio (retail $16-$20) to your fall collection!