Chicken and beef in a white wine sauce made with Marsala are both quite tasty and justly popular. Chicken Marsala and beef Marsala are also easy to make.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- The meat of choice (see below for specifics)
- Broth (low sodium canned will work if need be)
- Marsala
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
From Cosa Bolle in Pentola, my free newsletter: Winding down, Joyce requests Chicken Marsala. Here’s a recipe from Il Re Dei Cuochi, a book Salani published anonymously in 1885:
“Chop a young chicken and sauté it in a dollop of butter, with a small onion, minced, seasoning everything with salt and pepper. When the meat is browned, sprinkle it with broth (you’ll want about a half cup), reduce the heat to a simmer and finish cooking it. When the meat is done strain the juices, degrease them if necessary, and return them to the pot with two fingers (of a glass) of Marsala. Stir the chicken around, bring the sauce to a boil, and serve.”
In a similar vein, here is Filetto di Manzo col Marsala, Beef Filet with Marsala:
“Take 2 1/4 pounds filet, tie it, and set it to brown in butter, with a finely-sliced small onion, a couple of fine slices of prosciutto, salt, and pepper. Once the meat has browned and the onion slices begin to separate into rings, dust the pot with a little flour, let the color darken, and then sprinkle it with broth or water (about a half cup to begin with). Simmer the meat until almost done, then strain and degrease the sauce if necessary. Return the meat and the sauce to the fire with three fingers of a glass of Marsala, and gently simmer for a little longer; serve the meat with its sauce, which should be quite reduced. This will serve 7 or 8.”
“Chop a young chicken and sauté it in a dollop of butter, with a small onion, minced, seasoning everything with salt and pepper. When the meat is browned, sprinkle it with broth (you’ll want about a half cup), reduce the heat to a simmer and finish cooking it. When the meat is done strain the juices, degrease them if necessary, and return them to the pot with two fingers (of a glass) of Marsala. Stir the chicken around, bring the sauce to a boil, and serve.”
In a similar vein, here is Filetto di Manzo col Marsala, Beef Filet with Marsala:
“Take 2 1/4 pounds filet, tie it, and set it to brown in butter, with a finely-sliced small onion, a couple of fine slices of prosciutto, salt, and pepper. Once the meat has browned and the onion slices begin to separate into rings, dust the pot with a little flour, let the color darken, and then sprinkle it with broth or water (about a half cup to begin with). Simmer the meat until almost done, then strain and degrease the sauce if necessary. Return the meat and the sauce to the fire with three fingers of a glass of Marsala, and gently simmer for a little longer; serve the meat with its sauce, which should be quite reduced. This will serve 7 or 8.”
