Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Aurora's Chicken Pepperoni

My take on a recipe Inspired by the 1980 Chevy Chase/Goldie Hawn film "Seems Like Old Times.
In the film,Goldie Hawn's Hispanic maid,Aurora is famous for her signature dish,Chicken Pepperoni.
She is expected to prepare it for an important dinner party,but is unable as she has an appointment to"get her feet scraped",so Goldie has to improvise the recipe as she cannot read the Spanish instructions.I figure since this appears to be a totally fictitious recipe anyway,why not take a stab at it myself.My preferred stick pepperoni is Margarita brand.This recipe may be served with pasta,polenta or a simple green salad.
Serves 4

Ingredients:

for the Sauce-
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion,grated on the small holes of a hand grater
3 cloves garlic,minced or put through a garlic press
1/4 cup dry red wine
1-28oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
4 oz. piece of stick pepperoni,skin removed,quartered lengthwise
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves plus extra for garnish

for the chicken-
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
4 boneless,skinless chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
20 thin slices pepperoni
1 cup shredded mozzarella,provolone or fontina cheese

instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.Add onion,garlic and cook stirring constantly for one minute.Stir in wine,crushed tomatoes,oregano,sugar,red pepper flakes,1/4 teaspoon salt,and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.Bring to a simmer and add quartered pepperoni pieces.Continue to simmer until sauce thickens and flavors meld,15-20 minutes.
Stir in basil,cover and keep warm.
2.Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 450 degrees.
Remove pepperoni from sauce and reserve on a plate.Spoon sauce into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3.Spread parmesan into a shallow dish or pie plate.Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper.Working with one breast at a time,dredge in parmesan and press on chicken so it adheres evenly.Lay coated chicken breasts on top of sauce in baking dish,transfer to preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
4.Remove chicken from oven and increase temperature to 475 degrees.
Shingle 5 slices pepperoni on each chicken breast,followed by 1/4 cup mound of shredded cheese.Return chicken to oven and bake until cheese melts and thickest part of breasts register an internal temperature of 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer,5-7 minutes.To serve,spoon some sauce from baking dish onto each plate,top with a chicken breast and a tablespoon of sauce.Chop reserved pepperoni used to flavor sauce into small pieces and scatter over each breast.
Garnish with fresh basil leaves.