Mother’s Day Marsala

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there. I hope you all enjoyed your day yesterday!

In today’s post…and several more to come, I am honoring my mom. This weekend my parents made the 5.5 hour trip to Iowa to spend Mother’s Day weekend with me, so I made sure to get Marshy out shopping, Hot Rod to the Casino (well, he is pretty good at finding his own way there), and lots of delicious food on the table. It’s true, my parents never leave hungry. And why not spoil them? Oprah once said, “Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.” She is so right. My mom is my one of my best friends, my confidant, my shoulder to cry on, and always my biggest fan! Sometimes I have to remind her that I am NOT perfect. 🙂

As I planned the menu for the weekend, I tried to take all of mom’s favorites into consideration. So, Friday night we headed to El Dorado for Mexican…she loves her some Chimichanga! Saturday we started our day at Starbucks, enjoyed a girls’ only lunch at Biaggis, and finished the day with Filet Mignon. Sunday, (Mother’s Day), we grilled up Creamy Spinach & Chicken Paninis for lunch and Mom’s favorite Chicken Marsala for dinner. I also whipped up a Red Velvet Cake to indulge in for dessert. And today, I woke up early and sent mom on her way with some Sticky Buns. Like I said….well.fed. (All of these recipes to come later this week!)

For now, let’s start with our Mother’s Day meal: Chicken Marsala with Grilled Asparagus and Romano-Garlic Mashed Potatoes. I have made this meal several times before….and it is always a hit.

Start by making the mashed taters…it’s easiest to get these out of the way and reheat when the rest of the meal is complete.

ROMANO-GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

Serves 4

8-10 Small Red Potatoes, quartered
1/3 cup Freshly Grated Romano Cheese
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Tblsp Butter/Margarine
Salt & Pepper
Dash or 2 of Milk (start with a little and add to consistency of your liking…be careful not to add too much…as taters will get runny!)

Boil potatoes until soft (~12 minutes) or just until the red skin is starting to seperate from the potatoes. Drain. Immediately put potatoes back into warm pot and add cheese, butter, garlic, salt and pepper, and milk.

With a hand mixer, beat until smooth and fluffy. Using a spatula, move mashed potatoes to a microwave safe bowl and cover. Reheat for 45 – 60 seconds just before serving.

Next, prep the chicken and asparagues for grilling. Bring the chicken breasts (called for in Marsala recipe below) to room temp and trim excess fat. Lightly brush on Extra Light Olive Oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Preheat grill to 400 degrees.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS

Serves 3-4

1 bunch of Asparagus, trimmed. (cut one inch off the bottom end of the asparagus and discard)
EVOO
Salt & Pepper

Once you have trimmed the bottom inch off of the asapargus, drizzle with EVOO and add Kosher Salt & Pepper. Toss with tongs until covered evenly.

Once the grill has preheated to 400 degrees, place the aspargus on the top rack of the grill and the chicken, evenly spaced, on the bottom rack. And average sized chicken breast should cook for ~6-7 minutes a side.

The asparagus can be flipped about the same time as the chicken. Remove from the grill when slightly blackened and tender. Cover with lid or tin foil until the rest of the meal is complete.

While the chicken and asparagus are grilling, prepare the Marsala-Mascarpone sauce.

CHICKEN MARSALA

(This recipe is adapted from a recipe by Giada De Laurentis)

Serves 4

1.5 – 2 lbs Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast
1 lb Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
1 Small Yellow Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 cup Marsala Cooking Wine
8oz Mascarpone Cheese
1/2 cup Freshly Grated Romano Cheese
2 Tblsp EVOO
2 Tblsp Unsalted Butter

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the onion and saute until tender, ~2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, ~12 minutes.

Add the marsala cooking wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, ~4 minutes.

Stir in the mascarpone. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens slightly, ~2 minutes.

Once the sauce is complete and the chicken is grilled to perfection, you are ready to plate your Chicken Marsala! Divide the asapargus evenly among the plates. With a large serving spoon, place a scoop of mashed potatoes on the plate and top with one grilled chicken breast and Marsala sauce. Sprinkle freshly grated Romano cheese on top.