marsala wine Archives - Proud Italian Cook

Pork Chops Marsala

January 22, 2013 by Marie 54 Comments

Sweet Marsala wine sauce is like nectar of the gods, it transforms simple chicken, veal and beef into something extraordinary, and now I’m here to tell you it does exactly the same for pork, in fact pork chops marsala is becoming my new favorite.

The second the Marsala wine splashes into the pan your kitchen will smell absolutely amazing, the aroma is deep, rich and bold and as it simmers down it gets even better. It doesn’t take much time at all to get this flavorful meal on the table so it’s really good for mid week as well as for guests, the other bonus is everything goes into one pan!

You can serve this with angel hair pasta, it’s divine with garlic mashed potatoes, or if you prefer no carbs at all try it along side sautéed spinach or kale in garlic and olive oil. Which ever way you choose you can’t go wrong!

Dollops of mascarpone cheese gets whisked into the pot with the pork chops and Marsala, it thickens the sauce to the perfect consistency as it slowly cooks down, the end result is a sauce so rich and creamy that you’ll want to drink it!

The mascarpone really takes this dish over the top.

Pork chops Marsala is so full of flavor, the pork is tender and juicy, the sauce is creamy, it comes together quickly and you know what? The presentation is so elegant! Whats not to like?

Gather up all these ingredients and make this as soon as possible, this is what I call pure comfort food!

Pork Chops Marsala

Ingredients

2-4 pork chops
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 minced garlic cloves
1 yellow or red onion cut into rings
1 box of crimini mushrooms left whole, stems removed
¾ cup sweet Marsala wine
¾ cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
fresh thyme and parsley

Instructions

Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper, add to a heated skillet with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, remove when brown.
Add remaining oil and butter, brown your garlic and onion rings, remove.
Add mushrooms and saute till all juices evaporate then add Marsala, deglaze pan and reduce by half.
Add broth and a couple sprigs of thyme and let that reduce.
Add chops and all juices back in the pan along with the mascarpone cheese, whisk in until melted, then cover and simmer until chops are cooked through and sauce has thickened.
Garnish with chopped parsley and thyme.

54 Comments Filed Under: Meats Tagged: crimini mushrooms, marsala wine, pork chops

Pears for Dessert, 3 Ways!

January 26, 2011 by Marie 27 Comments

Here’s a few simple desserts using fresh pears which I happen to have an abundance of!
Marsala Baked Pears, doesn’t that sound good to you? Believe me when I tell you, it was!

The flavor is out of this world because what happens here is while the pears are baking their continually soaking up butter and Marsala to the point where they become beautifully caramelized, when finished and still warm they become the perfect companion to ice cream,
whipped cream, or luscious mascarpone! You can garnish with something crunchy like nuts or crumbled biscotti, need I say more?

Not really a recipe, here’s what you do;

Peel and slice pears lengthwise, place them in a baking dish, pour in sweet Marsala wine half way up the side of the pears, place dabs of butter all around and sprinkle wine with sugar or you can even use honey just to sweeten everything up a bit. Place in a 350F oven for around a good hour basting them often, you’ll know their done when the liquid becomes caramelized.

Pear and Ricotta Tart, This is a standard recipe I use whenever I want to bake a fruit of any sort with ricotta. I use a 9″ tart pan with a removable bottom then place a good pre made pie dough into the bottom, ( I told you it was simple!) of course you can make your own if you like. To insure the dough being crusty and cooked on the bottom I like to blind bake the dough for a five minutes in a 425F oven by placing a piece of parchment paper on top and then adding some beans or pie weights, then remove, take off the weights and reduce oven to 375F.

For the filling;

1lb ricotta cheese

6 0r 7 ripe pear halves, sliced lengthwise and cored

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

Fresh orange zest or 1 heaping tablespoon of apricot preserves

Pinch of cinnamon

Mix everything together in a bowl until well blended, (except the pears of course). Place filling into pie shell and position pears all around. ( optional, sprinkle and swirl more cinnamon on top) Bake at 375F for around 30 minutes. While still warm brush apricot preserves on top of pears. Let it cool down while you put on a pot of espresso!

And last but not least, Chocolate Ricotta Filled Pears. Turning creamy white ricotta into chocolate is so quick using cocoa powder and then pairing it with orange is a match made in heaven! I can’t wait to try this with strawberries, because we all know how good chocolate and strawberries are!

Poach 3 whole peeled pears in 3 cups of water and 1/4 cup of orange juice, cook around 10 minutes in a covered pan , when pears are tender remove and cool down.When cooled, slice them lengthwise and remove cores.

Ricotta Filling:

1 cup ricotta

1/3 cup of powdered sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mini chocolate chips, ( as many as you like)

Combine everything into a bowl then spoon the mixture into the center of the pears. Garnish with orange zest and more chocolate chips.

Recipe adapted from BHG

Note: For a real quickie, use purchased bottled pears, I tried it, it’s good too!

Buon Appetito!

27 Comments Filed Under: Desserts, Fruit Tagged: chocolate ricotta, fruit desserts, marsala wine, pears, ricotta tart

CHICKEN MARSALA

October 4, 2007 by Marie 6 Comments

What a Classic!!!… But yet it is so simple and easy to prepare! I often make this mid week when I want to whip something up fast, and yet

it’s ELEGANT enough for a great dinner party! The Star of the whole dish is of course, the Marsala wine, what a wonderful aroma and flavor it gives to the sauce, it just elevates mere chicken to a new level!! I pretty much just brown the chicken, I don’t even dust it with flour. After that, I remove the chicken, saute the mushrooms & onions and some smashed garlic, deglaze with a little chicken broth, and of course the key ingredient!! the Marsala wine (don’t be skimpy!) and to smooth out the sauce, I put a few dollop’s of mascapone. Put the chicken back in ,with a lid on the pan and simmer till done sprinkle with fresh parsley.