Michelle and Britt's Tour Of Italy Couples Night

Brittany's Food:

Chicken Parmigiana Rollatini 

serves 6 (if you use big chicken breasts it serves double that) 

 I got this recipe from: http://www.mykitchenescapades.com/2013/10/chicken-parmigiana-rollatini.html

(recipe inspired by skinnytaste.com)

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 4 lbs

8 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry of liquid

2/3 C part skim ricotta cheese

1/4 C freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

1 egg

2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced

1/2 C italian seasoned bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten with a dash of milk

1 C marinara sauce

salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.  Lay one chicken breast on a cutting board with what would have been the skin side up.  Place your hand on top, and using a chef’s knife, cut the breast down the middle being sure to stop before cutting all the way through.  Open the breast so the cut surface is exposed, cover with plastic wrap and lightly pound the chicken to an even thickness.  Season both sides of the chicken well with salt and pepper.  Repeat with remaining breasts.

2.  In a medium sized bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, half of the mozzarella, half of the parmesan, garlic and 1 egg.  Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper to the mixture.  Evenly divide and spread the filling on the inside cut side of the chicken.  Roll up the chicken and place it seam side down on the work surface.

3.  On a plate, mix together the bread crumbs and the remaining parmesan cheese.  Place your 2 beaten eggs with the dash of milk in a small bowl.  Dip each breast first in the eggs, then roll them into the breadcrumbs to coat.  Place them on your greased baking dish seam side down.

(I skipped step three becasue my rolls were huge. I placed them seam down and then brushed them with the egg mixture and threw the bread crumbs and cheese on the top casserole style. Turned out 

4.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and top with marinara sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese.  Bake for another 3-4 minutes.  Serve with marinara sauce

**For gluten free, be sure to use gluten free bread crumbs instead!

Zuppa Toscana (Copycat)

Ingredients:

1lb ground Italian sausage

1 ½ tsp crushed red peppers

1 large diced white onion

4 Tbsp bacon pieces

2 tsp garlic puree

10 cups water

5 cubes of chicken bouillon

1 cup heavy cream

1 lb sliced russet potatoes

¼ of a bunch of Kale

Prep Instructions:

Sautee Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.  In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic for approximately 15 mins or until the onions are soft.  Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour. Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in the sausage. Add Kale just before serving 

Bread Sticks

Ingredients:

1 ½ Tbsp yeast dissolved in 2 ¼ C warm water

3 Tbsp Sugar

¾ tsp salt

5 ¼ C flour

Prep Instructions:

Mix together and Knead three minutes. Let rest 10 min.  Melt 1 cube of butter on baking sheet.  Roll out dough and cut into strips. Place back together in same rectangular shape on baking sheet, turning in melted butter to coat both sides. Sprinkle generously with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese.  Let rise 15-20 min Bake at 375 for 15-20min.