Рецепт Chicken Marsala
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When
I served Chicken Marsala one recent weeknight, Andrew asked if I was working on
Italian restaurant classics. As part of
its 150th issue, Saveur magazine had published a collection of 150
Classic Recipes which ran the gamut from Buffalo wings to Middle Eastern
Kibbeh, from main courses to sweets and even classic cocktails. And there in their midst was the recipe for
Chicken Marsala, made with delicate chicken cutlets, button mushrooms,
shallots, garlic and, arguably, Italy’s most famous fortified wine, Marsala.
There’s little question that Andrew and my introduction to the dish was in Italian-American
restaurants where, as young boys, we thought ourselves very sophisticated when
ordering it. The truth is, the dish may
have given its budding gourmets that impression but it is one of the easiest
things you can imagine putting together for dinner. And it does impress with its pan sauce rich
in the flavor of sweet Marsala wine. And while your favorite foodies eat it,
you can regale them with the story surrounding the dish.
Marsala, Sicilia The
town of Marsala sits on the western tip of Sicily, an island that, despite its
disconnection from Italy, is often considered to be the most Italian of
places. It is filled with beauty and
history, some of it truly ancient. The
town of Marsala was a major port dating from the fall of the Roman Empire in 473 AD. Its name comes from the Arabic “Mars-el-Allah”,
the port of Allah. While many culinary
traditions in Sicily have roots in the Arab world, Marsala sauce likely came
from the other direction: France.
Queen Maria Carolina of Naples and Sicily
In
the early 1800s, Queen Maria Carolina of Naples and Sicily imported French
chefs because the foreign-born Queen had little faith in the local cuisine
being good enough for her court. She came from a family of Francophiles. Queen Maria Carolina was the sister of another well-known Queen, Marie
Antoinette. The
making of a classic Chicken Marsala is pure French in technique and
ingredients. The flour-coated chicken is
sautéed in butter (not olive oil), then removed from the pan while the sauce is
made.. Italian Americans, many of
whom have roots in Sicily, took the dish to their American kitchens often
substituting white wine for the original Marsala. Chicken Marsala is hard to find in restaurants
in Italy. Even in Marsala itself, while it’s still on some menus, it has been
eclipsed by recipes from the remarkable melting pot that is Sicily.
There
is no real substitute for Marsala: it can only be made with either red or white
grapes that are indigenous to Sicily. It
comes in both dry (secco) and sweet (dolce) versions. Sweet Marsala is what’s called for here. Added
to the grapes is brandy and then the Marsala is aged like sherry. It has a high
alcohol content of 15 to 20 percent. It
is not particularly expensive. In New York a 750 ml bottle is $13.00 at my
local liquor store and $9.00 for 375 ml. As a drink, Marsala is an excellent dessert
wine with a particular affinity for chocolate. This
is an easy weeknight recipe to prepare and takes just a little over a half hour
to cook. The chicken cutlets benefit
from being pounded thin before cooking. Deglazing the pan with Marsala and
stock after cooking the chicken will give you a quick, yet rich, sauce. Here is the recipe:
Recipe for Chicken Marsala from Saveur
Magazine Serves
4 to 6 Takes about 40 minutes to cook 1
1⁄4 lb. chicken cutlets, pounded until 1⁄4"
thick (about 8)
Kosher
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1⁄3 cup plus 1 tbsp. flour
5
tbsp. olive oil
5
tbsp. unsalted butter
8
oz. white button mushrooms
2
tbsp. minced shallots
1
clove garlic, minced
1⁄3 cup dry Marsala wine
1⁄3 cup chicken stock
1
tbsp. finely chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
1. Season
chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in 1⁄3 cup flour.
Heat 2 tbsp. oil and 1 tbsp. butter in a 12" skillet over medium-high
heat. Working in batches, add chicken, and cook, turning once, until golden
brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate, and set aside.
2. Add 2 tbsp. oil and
1 tbsp. butter, and then add mushrooms; cook until golden brown, about 8
minutes. Transfer to plate with chicken, and set aside.
3. Heat
remaining oil in skillet, and then add shallots and garlic; cook, stirring,
until soft, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining 1 tbsp. flour; cook for 2
minutes. Add Marsala and stock; cook, stirring and scraping bottom of pan until
slightly thick, about 2 minutes. Return chicken and mushrooms to skillet, and
cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in remaining
butter.
4. Season with salt and pepper; garnish with parsley, if you like.