Chicken Marsala, or maybe Veal Marsala, standards in
old school Italian-American restaurants. Standards because they arewell balanced dishes...the savory sauce, the
fragrant garlic, the sweetness of the Marsala...the earthiness of the mushrooms.  What's not to like?  Marsala,
a sweet Sicilian wine is alot like Sherry.  There are different dishes which can incorporate it into their flavor profile.
In Sicily it's even used for desserts, such as in Zabaglione, that frothy sweet eggy treat...at its' best when served
with canoli cream and fresh strawberries...

     Dinner time comes quickly after a day of work and I'm always trying to come up with something that is not going
to take hours to cook. You may have noticed by now that chicken shows up quite often in my house.  It cooks quick
and is not fatty, so it's perfect for a quick meal.  Looking into the fridge, I see the pack of whole boneless breasts.
I trim them up, cut them into equal strips, for the 4 of us, is used 3 of the breasts.    The trimming of the excess
skin, and other nasty bits takes a little time, but is worth it.  No one likes a surprise when biting into what should be
a clean piece of meat.  Beat 1 egg.  Season the chicken strips with kosher salt and lots of black pepper.  Then
pour the egg over them.  Mix well.  Dust 1/2 cup of flour over the chicken and coat.  Sort of a quick francese
batter.  In 1/8 of olive oil in a wide pan saute' the strips in batches, draining on paper towels.  About 5 minutes per
side should do it.  Reserve and cover the chicken.
This gives the chicken a thin coating which will keep it from drying out when it's added to the sauce which we will
now make.  You need 10 Roma tomatoes(vine ripened and deep red).  Cut them in half and remove the seeds,
then dice them into small cubes.  Add them to the pan and let them cook for about 5 minutes.  Add some salt
pepper.  Stir well.  Finely slice 2 cloves of garlic and add to the pan.  Let this cook for 1 minutes, you should
smell the fragrance.  Then add 1/8 cup of Marsala wine.  Stir and cook for 8 minutes.
   I can smell
the aroma coming off of the picture...Now toss in the chicken and coat well...let this simmer for about
4 minutes, then toss in 5 torn fresh basil leaves.  Let sit for a few minutes then serve



This is a perfect example of the simplicity of Italian/Sicilian cooking.  True, there are some dishes which require
many ingredients and long cooking...but most dishes in Italian cuisine are careful yet simple preparations with
only a few ingredients.  The choice of wine, onion, or garlic, herbs...that will change the flavors.  I hope this
introduces you to a different way to use Marsala...Make this next time you want to have that Marsala flavor...it
will not disappoint you!

  This was served over a toasted rice and
vermicelli pilaf...simple and light..to catch the flavors of the tomato and chicken.  Orzo would work well too.