Da Capo Pollo al Vin Cotto (Chicken with Cooked Wine)

This rustic italian chicken dish is full of flavor. The recipe begins with the cooking of the wine and ends with re-cooking it in a sense, thus the "Da Capo" (return to the beginning). Soft yet a bit crisp in texture, the dish includes a wide variety of seasonings and add-ins, finishing with a burst of flavor.

Vin Cotto

4 1/2 cups red wine (if you have an already open bottle of wine, you can use this. It is not necessary to use completely newly opened wine.)

1/2 cup honey

2 cinnamon sticks

3 cloves

extra virgin olive oil

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces

salt

1 large onion, chopped into large pieces

2 carrots, diced

1/2 green olives (without pimentos)

3 Tbsp raisins

1 Tbsp capers

1 Tbsp toasted pine nuts

3 Tbsp toasted unsalted almonds

1 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

fresh ground black pepper

Begin making the Vin Cotto. 

Combine the wine, honey, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Lower flame and allow the Vin Cotto to simmer for about 20-25 minutes, until there is only about 1 cup left. Remove from flame and allow to cool.

Pour some olive oil into the bottom of a sauté pan until it is completely covered. Heat the oil over a high flame. Be careful that it doesn't get too hot as it will start to smoke. Before you season the chicken, make sure that it has carefully been rinsed and dried. Season the chicken with salt and place in the pan, skin side down. Allow chicken to brown on both sides. Lower flame and add the chopped onion and carrots. Cook until the contents of the pan are a deep golden brown. Add the olives, raisins, capers, pine nuts, and almonds. Stir well.

Add 1/2 cup of the Vin Cotto to coat the bottom of the pan and allow to further cook. While the chicken is cooking in the pan, return the Vin Cotto to a flame and bring to a boil. 

Combine the sugar and red wine vinegar in a bowl and mix well. Pour this over the chicken and stir well until it is reduced to a glaze. 

Add another 1/2 cup of Vin Cotto to the pan and raise the heat to allow the sauce to boil with the chicken. 

Transfer chicken to a platter and garnish with fresh ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, and fresh parsley.

Servings: 8

Music Suggestions:

•Norma: Casta Diva- Bellini

•Nessun Dorma- Puccini

 

Beethoven's Breakfast Cookies

These cookies are sure to satisfy your breakfast needs when you are pressed for time. Large in size, hearty, and rich in flavor, this particular quick breakfast will leave you feeling satiated until lunchtime. 

2 cups sugar

1 cup peanut butter (I recommend an organic brand such as Krema)

1 cup butter or margarine (Earth Balance vegan  butter recommended)

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 eggs 

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup raisins

3 cups of Kashi Heart to Heart cereal (or any other low sugar oat cereal of your choice)

Preaheat oven to 375° F.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, peanut butter, butter/margarine, water, vanilla, and eggs. Mix well until you have a thick and sticky batter. 

Add baking soda, flour, salt. Again, stir well. 

Mix in the rolled oats, raisins, and cereal.

Drop large, rounded spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure you have enough space between the cookies, as they do spread quite a bit while baking. 

Bake for 14 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Allow the cookies to sit on the warm cookie sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a plastic container.

Servings: 24 (medium size), or 16 (large size)

Music suggestions:

•Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46: 1. Morning Mood- Grieg

•Haydn String Quartet in D Major, Op. 20 No. 4

Creamy Pastoral Pasta with Salmon

I conjured up this recipe recently while traveling through Montreal. I didn't feel much like going out to dine with the rest of the food packing traffic creating crowd, so I stayed in and cooked... naturally. 

This pasta has a wonderful creamy light red sauce that goes spectacularly well with salmon. 

1 package of a pasta of choice ( I recommend angel hair or fusilli)

1 jar of good quality garlic tomato sauce

1 package of Boursin cheese with garlic and fine herbs (you can find this at your local grocer in the fine cheese section)

2 whole salmon filets  

extra virgin olive oil

salt 

pepper

1 clove fresh garlic, minced or crushed

1/2 large sweet onion thinly sliced

1 package of baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

Start by putting a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta. 

In a separate pan, drop in a bit of olive oil (enough for sautéing) and allow to heat up. Add the clove of fresh garlic to the hot oil and saute for a moment, then add the onions and mushrooms and allow them to cook. Set aside once done.

Preheat the oven to 350° F and begin prepping the salmon. If you are using frozen salmon, you will have to allow it to defrost in a bowl of cool water 20 minutes before making. Do not use warm water to defrost as the salmon will begin to cook and thus go bad. 

Once the salmon is ready, give it a good rinse and dry. Put the salmon in a well oiled pan and drizzle olive oil over the fish. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top and put into the oven to bake for 15 minutes. 

While the salmon is cooking, begin working on the sauce.

Add 3/4 of the jar of tomato sauce to a pan and allow to heat. Add half the package of the Boursin cheese and let it melt down completely. Once the cheese has fully melted and mixed into the sauce, it should have a light red or pink coloring to it. You may add more cheese if you wish for the sauce to be a bit creamier. Add the mushroom and onion mix to the sauce and stir. 

 Once the salmon is cooked, remove from the oven and cut up into uneven pieces. Throw the salmon on top of the pasta and pour the sauce over everything, stir well.

Serves 4

Music Suggestions: 

•Beethoven Symphony No. 6, Movement II: Andante Molto Mosso- Scene By The Brook

•Vivaldi Concerto in D for Guitar, Movement II: Largo

Blueberry Baroque Cheesecake

This is one of my most favorite cheesecake recipes. Simple in execution and simply divine in taste, this cheesecake is the perfect balance between light and rich.

*Vegan ingredient options included (you would never know it was not dairy, believe me!)

8 oz fresh or frozen blueberries (I recommend frozen, they are easier for straining)

Crust

1/4 sugar

6-8 oz graham crackers (depending on how thick you want the crust to be)

1/2 cup of roasted pecans, ground or finely chopped (buy the pecans raw and roast them in the oven at 350˚ F for 8-10 min. be careful that they don't burn)

2 oz butter (or vegan butter if you choose, I like to use the brand Earthbalance)

1 Tbsp sugar

fillling

20 oz cream cheese, softened (or Tofutti Cream Cheese for vegan option)

3/4 cup sour cream (or non-dairy sour cream)

2 eggs (egg beaters work well too)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

zest of 1 lemon

Process the blueberries in a food processor and press through a sieve to collect the juice (you'll want about a 1/2 cup of juice from this). Discard the drained blueberries.

Mix the drained blueberry puree and sugar in a saucepan over a medium flame. Stir continuously until the sugar fully dissolves. Lower flame and allow to simmer for 8-10 until the mixture thickens. Remove from flame and allow to cool.

For the crust, process the graham crackers and roasted pecans until you have a coarse flour-like mixture. Add the butter and sugar, process until combined.

Line the bottom of a large springform pan with parchment paper and grease the whole pan.

Press the crust mixture into the bottom of the pan and put into the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 280˚ F and begin making the filling.

Process the cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add the sour cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest. Process again until smooth and fully combined.

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the pan over the crust.

With a spoon, drizzle the blueberry sauce over the top of the cheese cake and draw a butter knife through the top to create swirls.

Bake for 1 hour or a bit more until set (the cheesecake should crake in the center and jiggle slightly when moved).

Chill until cold.

Servings: 10-12

Music suggestions:

• Balletto No. 3 in C Major for 2 Cellos: Movement IV, Gavotta- Boccherini

• Sinfonia Concertante- Mozart

Introduction

Hello all,

I just wanted to serve you a bit of an appetizer of information into my new blog and it's author, or composer rather.

I am a classical musician and avid foody, and I am here to share with you my love for good food and music. Food should be more than just what is served on a plate. It should create an atmosphere, transport you to another time or country (especially if paired with the right music!), and lift your spirits.

I will be bringing to you easy gourmet recipes, that when fully concocted look quite complex, but sneakily are not! And to go in hand with that, a few specific music suggestions to set the mood and enhance the food experience.

Welcome to my blog and I hope you enjoy your epicurean journey!

Yours,

The Musical Chef