Monday, January 25, 2010

CULINARY MONDAY: Marsala or Masala

Two very similar words, two totally different meanings.
Marsala: (sounds just as it's spelled) Italy's most famous fortified wine. These have a rich, smoky flavor, most of which comes from the oxidation during it's aging. It comes in dry (secco), sweet (dolce) & semi sweet (semisecco). It's uses range from aperitifs* (dry Marsala), used in desserts (sweet), or it's also great to cook with.
*An aperitif is an alcoholic beverage taken before dinner.
Chicken Marsala
2- Whole Chicken Breast, wrapped in plastic wrap & pounded flat.
Wondra flour for dredging
1-tsp- dry rubbed sage, or to taste
2 tsp- salt
1-2- tsp-pepper
2-tbsp of olive oil
2 cups of assorted mushrooms
1 cup dry Marsala
In a shallow flat dish, mix the Wondra, sage, salt & pepper. Warm an iron skillet with olive oil on medium. Dredge each breast in the flour mixture and cook in the oil for about 2 minutes per side to brown. Remove and set aside. Next add the mushrooms to the same skillet and saute a few minutes then add the Marsala and bring to a simmer. Place breasts back in pan and continue to cook about 10 more minutes or until breasts are done and sauce is thick & creamy. Serve with garlic mashed potatoes or skillet potatoes.

Masala: A fusion of varried Indian spices. Ranging anywhere from 2-10 different spices depending on the cook! It can include things such as corriander, mace, cardamon, cinnamon & tumeric. What we most commonly know is sold as Garam Masala.

3 comments:

Angela McRae said...

I love these great recipe names you keep coming up with!

Teresa's New Life said...

Sorry Angela, I changed the post name just now, I can see where it was a bit confusing. If you didn't go down to the bottom you missed "Masala"

parTea lady said...

Oh, that is one of my favorite chicken dishes. It's so close to dinner and now I'm really craving chicken marsala. I've never cooked it myself - maybe I'll have to try.

I really like Indian Chai (masala) tea and also cardamon spice.