Why do you cook?

The other day, a women was passing our break room at work while I was eating lunch. As she was passing by she asked what smelled so good.  As soon as my lunch caught her eye she said "Of course, How come you always have such amazing lunches".  Well in the simplest terms, because I love to cook and I love eating what I make.  The ability to create new dishes and experiment with recipes is just so enjoyable.  For me the process of cooking is as enjoyable as eating what I've made.  However there are other reasons.  For instance, I work 12 hour days and have a weird schedule overall.  So to come home and get in the kitchen and cook is usually not something I want to do after work.  I would rather come home and heat up leftovers and enjoy something I made the previous day.  So today being an off day, of course I was in the kitchen. 

With eggplant, mushrooms and zucchini on sale, I found a recipe to make a Italian giambotta.  This was super easy to make and didn't take a long time to make.

Olive oil (small amount about a tablespoon)
6 ounces of fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 banana peppers sliced
1 medium eggplant, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 red potatoes, sliced
Salt and pepper
 

In a skillet, heat a small amount of olive oil. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add all the remaining vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer stir well and cover the pan. Let cook on a low flame stirring often. Remove cover and continue to cook vegetables until tender.

For my main course, I found a interesting recipe for Chicken with mustard mascarpone marsala sauce.  I had never heard of mascarpone cheese and decided it was a great opportunity to try a new ingredient.

 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast/thighs,

cut up into medium sized chunks

Salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

6 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup Marsala wine

1 cup mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

12 ounces fettuccine

So to start off season your chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until it is lightly browned on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.  In the same skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate.  Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Return the chicken and simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 1 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.  Plate your noodles and layer your chicken and sauce over.

I used spinach fettuccine, which was delicious, but use whatever kind of fettuccine you are in the mood for.

Well I hope you enjoyed today's blog and try one or both of these delicious dishes.