Vodka Sauce

Why is it that we often are reluctant to make dishes at home that we love so much at restaurants? Well, of course they won't taste the same, right? Wrong! My shining light, Giada, has a wonderful recipe for vodka sauce both in her Everyday Italian cookbook and it's also available on the Food Network website, which is where I came across it again earlier this week.

I never thought to make the sauce from the cookbook because 1.) how can it be better than what I can be served in a restaurant?, and 2.) Kyle is not at all a fan of vodka sauce (gasp!). I had thumbed past it a number of times but finally decided I would make it for myself for lunch on a day where I would be home for lunch...which happened to be today as I had taken the day off from work. Yay!

The result? ummm....YUM!!! This sauce really was one of the best vodka sauces I've ever had and it was so easy to put together! It was perfectly creamy and the vodka flavor really came through but wasn't at all overpowering. The recipe gives instruction for a homemade sauce but since I already had some on hand, I skipped that part and cut a good 45 minutes off the recipe. I halved the recipe and ended up freezing the 2 remaining servings in Ziploc bags layed flat in the freezer for the next time I have a craving for vodka sauce.

Vodka Sauce
source: Giada De Laurentiis

• 1 quart Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce, blended until smooth
• 1 cup vodka
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 pound penne (I used tortellini)

1. Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.

Simple Tomato Sauce:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 4 to 6 basil leaves
• 2 dried bay leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

1. In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick.
2. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.
3. Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
4. If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.
   

Without making sauce:

Prep time: 2 minutes (without making sauce)

Cook time: 25 minutes

Serves: 6

Including making sauce:

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Serves: 6

Creamy Pumpkin Sauce with Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage

The original version of this meal was simply roasted garlic chicken sausage in homemade spaghetti sauce over whole wheat pasta. Easy enough meal to make for myself being that Kyle is working evenings this week, right?

Well...I got thinking this afternoon about things I wanted to get accomplished tonight and it clicked...Kyle is working evenings this week...evenings this week...hmmm...YES!! It's not that I don't love spending time with my husband because I very much do, but the time alone for dinner certainly gives me a little more latitude about what I can cook for myself. "What do I have in the fridge to beef up my pasta dish tonight? .... PUMPKIN!!" I thought to myself - it was leftover from the pumpkin pancakes I made over the weekend. I had been reading through Cara's blog today and came across her hazelnut sage ravioli with pumpkin cream sauce and after the pumpkin light bulb went off in my brain, I decided to do a savory creamy pumpkin sauce tonight. Yes, yes...I realize that I would be taking a chance with this one - garlic chicken sausage with pumpkin sauce?? But you only live once and since I had to opportunity to possibly ruin only one meal, rather than two, tonight, I decided I'd better take advantage.

The ideas raced around my head during my 45 minute drive home and when I got in the house, I got right to work in the kitchen without even changing out of my work clothes. I was on a mission. Oh...did I mention this mission had to be lower in calories and fat since Kyle and I have started a healthy eating plan that involves only eating a certain amount of calories per day? Right...there would be no heavy cream in this sauce and instead skim milk, which I've always found works beautifully when making creamy sauces.

So here's what I did:

1. Melt 1 - 2 tsp butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 tsp flour to melted butter and stir to make a liquidy roux. Stir in about 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, 1/4 tsp salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Cook for 30-60 seconds.
2. Turn heat to low and whisk in 1/2 to 3/4 cup skim milk, whisking until there are no lumps. Stir in 1/4 cup pumpkin puree until well-incorporated. Cook on low stirring frequently for 5-8 minutes or until thickened to desired consistency.

I cut up and heated one pre-cooked roasted garlic chicken sausage and served the sausage on top of whole wheat pasta and the pumpkin sauce. Before eating, I sprinkled another dash of cinnamon on top and garnished with a few strips of Parmesan cheese. This was SO good and SO easy!! The mix of flavors from the sweet pumpkin and cinnamon along with the savory chicken sausage and Parmesan cheese was just delightful. And knowing that the sauce was low cal/low fat made eating the meal so much more satisfying! This is definitely a keeper...and maybe next time I'll attempt it when Kyle IS home for dinner.

A special birthday request

OK, so I'm about 2 weeks late with this post but better late than never! This year, Kyle requested chicken fried chicken with country gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, and corn - a truly starch-filled meal that rarely ever makes it to my weekly menus. I cringed when Kyle told me his veggie choice was corn (in addition to the potatoes and fried chicken) but I figured that it's his birthday meal so what the heck. And to add something else to the inevitable post-dinner food coma (pre-birthday cake of course), I threw in some cheddar-bacon biscuits that I've been dying to make (see the next post for these).

Since investing in my 7 1/4" round Le Creuset dutch oven, I've only used it a few times (and will use it more so during the fall and winter months) but after using it for frying chicken cutlets, I vowed to never use another pan or pot again for doing so - the deep sides and heat retention from the cast iron makes frying SO easy. I have add here that the queen of things fried, Paula Deen, was right again - peanut oil makes all the difference when frying foods...low smoke point so you can get the oil good and hot, and the flavor it adds is totally unlike olive oil. You just really have to be careful of food allergies when cooking with it - and thankfully, Kyle is NOT allergic to peanuts. And my last comment is on the panko...Panko: where have you been all my life?! Panko makes the perfect crunchy crust. I don't think I'll use it for everything that I fry (for instance, I feel that breadcrumbs would work better for chicken parm) but it really is such a great breading option to have in the kitchen to make some dishes a little extra special.

Overall, once I got passed the guilt of the high-fat, high-carb, low nutrition meal, I really enjoyed everything and Kyle "mmm'd" his way through dinner. The chicken was perfect, the gravy was peppery, the potatoes were garlicky, and the biscuits turned out beautifully. Thank goodness Kyle only has one birthday per year!!!

Chicken Fried Chicken

• 2 boneless skinless chicken cutlets, pounded to about 1/2" - 3/4"
• peanut oil (enough for about 1/2" inch in the bottom of the pan/pot)
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 eggs plus a dash of water, beaten together
• salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a heavy skillet or dutch oven - something with deep sides is optimal - over medium to medium-high heat. You'll know when the oil is ready when a tiny droplet of water sizzles when added to oil and the top of the oil is rippled.
2. Put panko, flour, and egg mixture in 3 separate shallow bowls.
3. Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Coat chicken in this order to achieve the perfect crunchy breading: flour, egg, flour, egg, panko. Gently press the panko onto chicken to assure the will stick.
4. Carefully add chicken to oil - do not allow chicken to splash into oil. Cook until panko is nicely browned on both sides, flipping only once. Drain.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

Country Gravy

• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)
• salt to taste
• lots of freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter then add flour, stirring to make a roux - add more or less flour to achieve desired consistency of the roux. Add salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
2. Lower heat to medium-low and slowly stir in milk and work out any lumps. Stir constantly to while brining milk to a simmer and cook for 1 minute or until sauce thickens. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. If sauce becomes too thick, add more milk (a little at a time).

Prep time: 0 minutes

Cook time: 3-5 minutes

Serves: 2-4

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

• 1 lb red-skin potatoes, quartered - Peeled or unpeeled is your preference. We like them unpeeled.
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium to large saucepot, cover potatoes with water, salt water, and bring to a rapid boil. Boil for 8-10 minutes. Check for doneness with a fork after 8 minutes.
2. When finished, drain potatoes and return to pot. Smash potatoes with a potato masher until there are no more large chunks left.
3. Add cheese, sour cream, chives, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Stir into potatoes. Add more sour cream if potatoes are too dense.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10-15 minutes

Serves: 3-4

Gnocchi with Thyme Butter Sauce

Before watching Giada's show on the Food Network a couple of years ago, I had never known what gnocchi was and even after finding out what it is, I'd still never tried it. Yes, I've seen it on menus but for some reason, I was never drawn to ordering it at a restaurant - and I'd never even considered buying it at the grocery store. Once again, the ladies on my cooking board inspired me to try a new dish at home. They'd said that homemade gnocchi is much better than what you'll find in the frozen section of the grocery store and for that reason, I decided to attempt both making it and tasting it for the first time this past weekend. How's that for jumping in with both feet?

I found a recipe for homemade gnocchi in Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook - Gnocchi with Thyme Butter Sauce - and decided that it looked easy enough to make and the sauce sounded great too so...why not? In all honesty, the recipe really WAS simple and I surprised myself with how easily and quickly it came together. From start to finish, this recipe took 30 minutes to prepare and cook. Overall, both Kyle and I really enjoyed this but felt that the dish needed a little more "umph." The sauce was just butter and fresh thyme but next time I make it, I think I'll saute some garlic in the butter as well. I'm not sure if the gnocchi themselves were what Kyle and I had expected but I told him to expect something similar to pierogis (which he LOVES) and I think my estimate was pretty close.

Being so easy to make, these are something I will definitely try again - and work on a variety of sauces for them as well. It might be nice to cut the recipe down by a couple of servings and serve it as a side dish with a light fish or with some grilled shrimp.

**Note: This recipe differs between FN.com and Giada's cookbook. I used the cookbook version, which is posted below. Some of the reviews of the recipe on FN.com say that the gnocchi fell apart and were just like mashed potatoes and I think there are mistakes in the FN.com version of the recipe. I had NO trouble at all with the gnocchi - and I had no idea what to expect while making and eating them for the first time. For the sake of reducing confusion, I am not linking this post the recipe on FN.com.

Gnocchi with Thyme Butter Sauce

Gnocchi:

• 2 russet potatoes (about 12oz each)*
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup shaved Pecorino Romano, for garnish*

Thyme Butter Sauce:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

To make the gnocchi, pierce the potatoes all over with a fork. Microwaved the pototoes on high until tender, turning once, about 12 minutes. (You can also bake the potatoes at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until tender.) Cut the potatoes in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; discard the skin. Using a fork, mash the potato well. Stir in the egg, salt and pepper. Sift the flour over the potato mixture and stir just until blended.

Scoop out a large spoonful of gnocchi dough. Roll each scoop on the work surface into a 1/2-inch-diameter rope. Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough over a wooden paddle with ridges or over the tines of a fork to form grooves in the dough. Set the formed gnocchi on a baking sheet while you form the rest of the dough.

To make the thyme butter sauce, melt the butter with the thyme leaves in a medium, heavy skillet over medium heat until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes.

Working in two batches, cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water until they have all risen to the surface, about 3 minutes. Scoop out the gnocchi into a colander with a slotted spoon, while you cook the second batch. Reheat the thyme butter sauce over low heat. Transfer the cooked gnocchi to the skillet with the hot thyme butter and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss again.

Spoon the gnocchi and butter sauce into shallow bowls. Top with the Pecorino and serve.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 6 minutes

Serves: 4-6

*Modifications:

1. I used 2 large Idaho potatoes and cooked them for 60 minutes at 375 degrees in the oven.
2. The shaved cheese on top of the gnocchi really made this dish. I shaved Parmesan rather than Pecorino Romano and it was just delish!

A mistake turned great!

OK, so I forgot to pick up frozen spinach BOTH times I was at the store this weekend and thus my intention of making my new Giada recipe, Chicken Saltimbocca, was thwarted once again - next week, I promise! What's the phrase, "out of the ashes rises the Phoenix"? Yes, I just finished Harry Potter 7 so this phrase has been on my mind but alas, it holds true with tonight's dinner. Since I had everything except the spinach to make the saltimbocca, I improvised a little...and was SO pleased with the result: chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto, basil leaves, and fontina (as if you can't already tell from this blog, Kyle and I are BIG fans of fontina cheese) with a creamy tomato sauce (using some of the spaghetti sauce I made yesterday) on top and side of spaghetti (which orginally was supposed to be Giada's basic risotto). HOLY MOLY was this good!!!

I'm not going to write out the recipe for this because it really is so straight-forward. Pound out 2 chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper. Lay prosciutto, fresh basil leaves and shredded fontina (about 2 tbsp of cheese for each cutlet) out on top of the flattened chicken breast. Carefully roll up and secure with toothpicks. Heat olive oil in a saute pan (medium-high heat) and cook chicken until fully cooked, turning to brown all sides. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook down 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce until thickened. Turn heat to low, add 1/3 cup heavy cream and stir until well-combined. Add some pasta water (or regular water) until the sauce is to your desired thickness. Serve with pasta, rice, veggies, etc.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2

My blog's inspiration...

The smell of homemade spaghetti sauce, above all other smells of food cooking, is what brings me back home to my parents' house as a kid. It has been shown scientifically that the olfactory sense triggers memory and my story is yet another testament to this science. My parents made sauce (or gravy as my 100% Italian dad still calls it) only a couple of times a year but it was frequently enough to allow the smell of it cooking in my own home to evoke such memories even today.

I remember my dad pouring over the stove working on his masterpiece: spicing up the gravy, rolling out the meatballs, and making sure that the piece of pork he would soon put in the pot to stew all day was big enough. It always was and was often a "bone" of contention between my parents because my mom always thought the sauce had enough fat in it from the meatballs and sausages already; for my dad, his gravy wasn't complete without a big hunk of pork. Some of my greatest memories as a kid were spaghetti and meatball nights where my mom would have my brother and I put on our dad's old work shirts as make-shift bibs to catch whatever red mess was inevitably about to come. Ricotta cheese was ALWAYS on the table those nights and would act as the glue in our bowls as we all competed to see who could twist a forkful of spaghetti on their fork the best without a single strand hanging off. (It was always my dad...afterall, he DID have the most practice under his belt from weekly - Sundays - spaghetti and meatball dinners with his family as a kid.) Those were great times always to be remembered.

Over the years, I've asked my dad to write out his recipe but he's always told me that he doesn't measure the amounts of anything he puts in there and so the sauce is never the same every time (although always delicious). A couple of years ago, I figured I had watched him make it enough times to feel confident enough to make it myself. And since then, my gravy has never come out the same way because I've never written the recipe down either...until now. I figured sharing my recipe might help others overcome their own fears of cooking what seems to be a monumentous meal, but in reality, is still a bunch of indregidents cooked together in the right proportions.

Note: I didn't measure my amounts either (the apple doesn't fall far) but I've got a pretty good estimate about how much of everything I used.

My Homemade Gravy

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 5 gloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
• 2 tsp dried or 2 tbsp fresh rosemary
• 2 tbsp salt
• 3 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 (32oz) cans tomatoes (I used 2 pureed, 1 crushed, 1 sauce this time)
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, torn or chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large stockpot or dutch oven (I used my 7 1/4 quart dutch oven) to medium heat. Heat olive oil and cook onions under almost soft. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and all of the herbs and cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes. Add tomato paste, stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring and being careful not to burn the mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low to low heat and add the tomatoes, water, and sugar. Cover and cook for 6-7 hours, stirring occasionally. Add parsley and basil 30 minutes before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

If you want to add meatballs, sausages, or a piece of pork to the pot, go for it. This time I slowly cooked 6 Italian hot sausages in a frying pan over low heat for about 10 minutes then added them to the pot to cook with the gravy for the 6-7 hours. I also quickly braised a pork loin (cut in 3 equal pieces) and added the pieces to the sauce for the entire cooking time as well. The pork literally fell apart when cutting it and the sausages were perfectly tender. I didn't make meatballs this time because I ran out of room in the pot with the pork and sausages.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes plus 6-7 hours.

Serves: ALOT

I have about 3 1/2 quarts of gravy leftover and have frozen most of it.

Tuna...The New Red Meat...

at least in my house! Holy cow was this good! Kyle and I had eaten lots of fish while on our honeymoon in Hawaii last year and got pretty spoiled by it. And now for my confession...I've NEVER made fish aside from whatever comes out of the freezer section. I know, I know...how did I grow up in a coastal community (Long Island, NY) and manage to never learn how to cook fish? Beats me!

Nonetheless, I took the plunge last week and picked up a big tuna steak (that I cut in two) and 2 HUGE sea scallops. I was bound and determined to prepare a healthy seafood meal that reminded me of a fancy dinner we had in Hawaii while overlooking the setting sun on the Pacific Ocean. After lots of searching online to make sure I felt confident enough to cook the tuna without ruining it, I came across a great recipe for balsamic-glazed tuna on CookingLight.com.

The glaze was a touch on the sweet side and I think the next time I make it, I will cut out 1 tsp of brown sugar. While only making 2 tuna steaks, I did make the full amount of glaze because the reviews on the website said that 1 tbsp of glaze wasn't enough per serving. This recipe calls to grill the tuna but I seared it alongside the 2 scallops on a griddle that attachs to our gas grill's side burner and cooked them for 4-6 minutes per side (4min for my med-rare and 6min for Kyle's medium) over low heat. I cooked the scallops for 5 minutes per side - they were about 1 1/2" thick before cooking.

I paired the tuna and scallops with brown rice that I cooked in chicken broth and garlic powder and a vegetable salad that Kyle came up with and prepared all on his own - see below. (I was SO proud of him!) The vegetable salad was a wonderful and light addition to the meal and we will definitely make it again.

Balsamic-Glazed Tuna

• Cooking spray
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 (6-ounce) tuna steaks (about 3/4 inch thick)
• 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 4 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup diagonally sliced green onions
• sesame seeds (the recipe didn't call for these but I pressed them into the tuna before searing)

Place a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Sprinkle pepper and salt over fish. Place fish in grill pan; cook 3 minutes on each side until medium-rare or desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, combine broth, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Spoon glaze over fish; top with green onions.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes (including rice)

Serves: 4

Serving size: 1 steak and 1 tablespoon glaze

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 266 (29% from fat); FAT 8.5g (sat 2.2g,mono 2.3g,poly 2.9g); PROTEIN 40.3g; CHOLESTEROL 65mg; CALCIUM 11mg; SODIUM 366mg; FIBER 0.3g; IRON 2.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.6g

Source: Marianne Marinelli , Cooking Light, JANUARY 1999

Vegetable Salad

• 1 1/2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, diced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all indgredients and serve cold.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: none

Serves: 4

Vegetable-Stuffed Chicken Breast with Roasted Red Pepper Basil Sauce

So I finally made the second dish for my first NTWC Platinum Chef Challenge hosted by Cara and I am so glad I waited to really figure out what I wanted to make before I just threw a few things together and called it a day.

The remainder of my challenge ingredients were basil, tomatoes, and zucchini. Sounds easy enough? Sure. But I made a resolution this year to move away from being tied down to cooking with recipes and start coming up with my own creations. More than creativity, it was about my feeling confident with my abilities to combine ingredients and experiment with flavor. And the result here was so satisfying!! In the vegetable stuffing, I used the zucchini and I used the basil and tomatoes in the sauce that topped the chicken, which sat atop a bed of orzo (my new favorite pasta!). More than I amazed Kyle that this wasn't from a recipe or cookbook (which he did ask me), I amazed myself...and found a great new "go-to" meal both for an easy weeknight dinner and to serve to guests alike.

Vegetable-Stuffed Chicken Breast with Roasted Red Pepper Basil Sauce

• 1/2 large zucchini, diced small (1/4") and divided
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced and divided
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, split open horizontally to form a pocket
• 2 oz fontina cubed (small)
• 1/2 to 3/4 of a roasted red pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces orzo pasta
• reserved pasta water

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium-sized oven-safe saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add half of the zucchini and cook for 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium then add spinach and half of the garlic and cook until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and set aside and allow to cool in a separate bowl for a couple of minutes.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Salt and pepper both sides of chicken. Stuff pockets of the chicken breasts with vegetable stuffing, adding fontina far enough into pocket so that it won't fall out while cooking.
3. In the same saute pan from the vegetables, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Carefully place stuffed chicken breasts into pan and saute for 6 minutes, flipping once. Cover and move to oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked through.
4. Bring a pot of water to a rapid boil and cook orzo according to package directions. Drain, reserving a little water for the sauce.
5. While chicken is in the oven, add roasted red pepper, basil, the remaining garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a blender or food processor (I used my mini food processor - perfect size for this). Blend until almost smoothe.
6. In a small sauce pan heated over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and add remaining zucchini; cook 3 minutes. Add red pepper mixture and tomato paste; stir until heated through. Turn heat to low and stir in heavy cream. Stir to combine into a sauce, adding pasta water if sauce needs to be thinned out. Add parmesan cheese and cook until sauce thickens and then add salt and pepper to taste.
7. With pot holders remove pan from oven and serve.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 25-30 minutes

Serves: 2