Wine for the Weekend of 2/21/20

Marsala Wine is the Wine for the Weekend of 2/21/20

The reason Marsala wine is the Wine for the Weekend of 2/21/20 is because I wanted to introduce something unusual for you to try. It originates from the town of Marsala in Sicily. Marsala wine is extremely versatile. Drink Marsala wine chilled as an after dinner drink. Also, use it to accent desserts and soups. It can be used to enhance chicken, veal and root vegetable dishes. It comes dry and sweet. Many recipes use the dry for cooking and the sweet for desserts. However, I have found that the sweet really adds a nicer touch for making my Chicken Marsala. It is my favorite dish and you can find my personal recipe below. Never buy Marsala wine from anywhere but Italy. Some grocery stores sell generic versions with no alcohol designed for cooking. Never buy them either. Since it is a fortified wine, you can put it in the fridge and it will last indefinitely.

Fortified Wine

Before modern refrigeration, fortified wine was produced in an attempt to prevent wine spoilage by increasing its alcohol content by adding brandy. Wine undergoes a process called fermentation which occurs when yeast converts the sugar from the grapes into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Fortified wines have an alcohol content of 17%-20%. That is why they are served in smaller glasses. Most wines are 10%-14.5%. Popular types are Madeira, Marsala, port, sherry, and vermouth. Most dessert wines are fortified.

Chicken Marsala

In a frying pan, saute one package of Coleman (or any brand) boneless chicken breasts sliced thin in a fair amount of butter and olive oil. Turn frequently until they are no longer pink. Remove them and set aside in a dish or bowl. Pour one can of beef au jus in the pan that had the chicken. Boil to reduce. In a separate pan, saute one package of sliced mushrooms in a fair amount of butter and olive oil. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and garlic powder on the mushrooms and stir. Cover them with a lid and stir occasionally. Once they are cooked, set them aside in a bowl with the juice.

Do not overcook the chicken or the mushrooms. Once the beef au jus is reduced by at least 60-70%, lower the heat. Put the chicken, mushrooms and juice in with the reduced au jus. As they reheat, quickly chop some Italian (flat leaf) parsley. Pour a fair amount of “sweet” Marsala wine in and sprinkle the parsley. Serve over pasta (8oz.) or with brown rice. Many versions of this recipe call for flour or other thickening agents to be added to the sauce. However, I think it is extremely better without them. See what I recently cooked below. Good luck!

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