Monday, May 09, 2005

I Found It! - Chicken Marsala -

Jeniffer, I found it!! "Marsala Superiore Dolce."
I tried 3 or 4 liquor shops that seemed to have good range of wines but with no success. None of them had Marsala wine, and sales clerks have never heard of it. So I was almost ready to give up.

Then today, after my daytime work, an idea just popped up in my mind. How about the small liquor shop where my friends went last month to buy numerous kinds of foreign beers? I rode my bicycle to that liquor shop on my way home, and BINGO!! They had Marsala wine!!! The moment I asked the clerk there, she instantly replyed, “Oh, Marsala wine? Sure we have one…somewhere… Wait. I gotta call my son and ask where it is…” and she took out her cell phone. A few minutes later, this Marsala Superiore Dolce was in my hands.

Thanks to Jeniffer who kindly taught me how to make Chicken Marsala, I had a great dinner tonight! Yes, I gave it a try. Now I understand what she mentioned about Marsala wine. Yes, it IS different from other wines, and it is GREAT with mushrooms!!!


Chicken Marsala ... a close-up

I used butter this time, and when the smell of the butter, mushrooms and the Marsala wine filled my kitchen, it was just heavenly. Yes, it would taste totally different if used any other kind of wine. I finished it in the oven like she wrote, and it worked better for me, too.

For chicken Marsala, I guess I prefer more dry type of Marsala to “Dolce,” because it is so sweet. If using Dolce, parsley and lemon are the “must have” for me. But this Dolce must be REALLY great for desserts! Well, now I can picture myself making tiramisu… or pouring Marsala over a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Ahhhhh…dangerous temptation….

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Obachan;
Chicken Marsala? Looks wonderful....I can almost smell it!!! 

Posted by carlyn

Anonymous said...

Hi carlyn,
Yes! The smell!! It was just simply wonderful :D 

Posted by obachan

Anonymous said...

おばちゃん, I love your site!
As for the sweet Marsala, you can try to make some Italian zabaglione cream with fresh eggs - I have never tried it but I would if I had the proper wine! 

Posted by steff

Anonymous said...

Hi steff,
Welcome and thanks for the idea! Now I’m googling for zabaglione cream recipe and its use. Must be really good with fresh fruits, right? Oh, I’m so excited!!  

Posted by obachan

Anonymous said...

hi hi obachan
sorry for long time no visit!The gloss on the chicken just looks so inviting! You gotta make tiramisu with the Marsala, it's sooo yummmmmm~~  

Posted by pinkcocoa

Anonymous said...

You did it! It looks very good. I'm sorry about getting the dolce instead of the dry. Yes, Tiramisu will be good and the ingredients are actually ordinary but the combination and the proportion are key. You can definitely do it.

Usually, I have one filet left over and you know the test of a successful attempt is will it taste good cold ... in my experience, it will make a very nice chicken sandwich for the next day. Mmhmm. 

Posted by Jennifer

Anonymous said...

pinkcocoa --- Yep! I'm definitely going for tiramisu sometime soon.

Jeniffer --- Yes, I did it!!! Chicken sandwitch is a great idea! Never thought about it. Thanks!
I'm going for tiramisu and also going to use Marsala wine for some other desserts, too. Hey, this marsala wine really added a lot to my life. Thank you so much for introducing this to me!!!  

Posted by obachan

Anonymous said...

Obachan,
well done! I am Italian and I just love it when people discover how delicious our cuisine can be.
Yes, Chicken Marsala is usually made with the dry Marsala.
Tiramisu is traditionally made with Vin Santo, or with Rum, or Brandy - not Marsala.
Zabaglione must be made with Marsala always, and it's usually eaten warm, and never with fruit. 

Posted by claire

Anonymous said...

Hi claire,
Thanks for dropping by! It's so nice of you to give me this info. So zabaglione is not for fruits in Italy?! Many Japanese sites I found introduced the use of zabaglione with fruits, so I just thought it was a common combination. How interesting :) 

Posted by obachan