Salsa Della Nonna

This is the first time I made fresh tomato sauce, and it was definitely worth the extra effort and time.We ate the chicken for one meal and used the sauce on homemade gnocchi the next night.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• One 4-pound chicken, quartered
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup peeled and finely diced carrot
• 1/4 cup finely diced celery
• 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• Two 28-ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes, put through a food mill, with juice reserved or if you don't have a food mill, pulse tomatoes 3 to 4 times in a food processor
• 1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves 

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pot and lightly brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate.
2. Place the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and saute the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the rosemary, bay leaf, and red wine. Stir to scrape up the browned bits, then return the chicken to the pot. Cook to reduce the wine until the pot is almost dry. Pour in the milled tomatoes and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
3. Make a sweating lid to fit the pot (see Note). When the sweating lid is in place resting on top the chicken, slide the pot into the oven and cook for about 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked through. (You can use a regular pan lid if you don't want to cut a sweating lid from parchment, but allow a little more cooking time.)
4. Using tongs, transfer the chicken pieces to a plate. You can keep the chicken warm and serve it as a second course, or let cool, wrap, and refrigerate for another use. Add the torn basil leaves to the sauce and use this in place of any marinara sauce.

NOTE: To make a sweating lid, Trace the lid for the pot you'll be using on parchment paper and then cut the paper a little smaller, so the parchment fits inside the pot.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500188_162-57335855/chiarello-italian-fare-built-on-tasty-sauce/?pageNum=2

Herbed Chicken Crepes with Fresh Rosemary Cream Sauce

I found this recipe on an awesome blog called Poor Girl Eats Well. It was delicious and much easier than I anticipated. The crepe recipe is simple and can be used for any crepe dish, including sweet ones. Strawberry crepes, anyone?

Ingredients

• 1/2 c all purpose flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 c nonfat milk
• 1 T butter, melted
• 1 T sugar
• 1/2 T butter for cooking

• 4 chicken thighs, cubed
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 1/4 t rosemary
• 1/4 t thyme
• 1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
• 2 T olive oil

• 1/2 c half & half
• 1 T butter
• 1/2 T fresh rosemary
• 1/2 T corn starch or flour, mixed in with a bit of water
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Season the cubed chicken thighs and heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and heat until just lightly golden brown. Add the chicken, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until thickest part of the cube is no longer pink on the inside. Remove from heat, keep covered, and set aside.

While chicken is cooking, combine the crepe ingredients into a bowl and mix together well with a wire whisk. In a medium skillet, heat the 1/2 T butter and coat the entire pan with it. Using either a measuring cup or ladle with a spout, slowly pour some of the batter into the skillet until it covers the entire bottom. Cook over medium low heat until the edges become slightly dry, about 45 seconds. With a spatula, check to make sure the crepe is starting to turn a golden brown on the bottom. If so, it's ready to flip onto the other side. Cook for about another 30 seconds or until the bottom side is golden brown.

In a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium low heat until melted and add the half & half, whisking to make sure the cream doesn't burn. Next, add the fresh chopped rosemary and salt & pepper and whisk to mix. When the cream barely starts to boil around the edges, stir in the cornstarch (or flour) and water mixture and whisk briskly so that the sauce begins thicken. Cook for another minute or so, or until your sauce thickens well. Don't worry if it's a little runny at first; it will thicken after removing it from the heat.

Assemble your crepes by placing a spoonful or two or chicken in the center of each crepe, drizzle a little bit of rosemary cream on the inside if you like, roll together, and place on a plate. Continue until all crepes have been assembled. Ladle a generous amount of the rosemary cream sauce on top of each serving, garnish with extra fresh rosemary sprigs, and enjoy!