Loretta's Famous Chicken Cacciatore
alla Marsala

Recipe given to me by my mother!

Ingredients

• 4 pounds of boneless chicken breast, cut to small pieces
• 1 box of fresh Mushrooms, cut into desired size
• 3 Bell peppers, cut into thin strips
• 2 small (or 1 large) onions, chopped up
• 2 sticks of Butter
• 1/2 cup of Olive Oil
• 1/2 - 1 cup of Marsala Wine
• Seasonings: Salt, Pepper, Oregano, Parsley, Garlic Powder
• Flour
• Tomato Sauce, if desired (My Mom would kill me for this, but unless you make your own sauce, Ragu is ok.)

Cooking Instructions

• Pan has to be at least 3-4 inches deep because of the peppers and mushrooms
• Turn burner on high
• Add 2 sticks of butter to pan
• Add a small amount (1/2 cup) of olive oil to hold the butter
• Throw in chopped onions and fry until onions turn from white to translucent ("sweating the onion")
• Mix in seasoning: salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, garlic powder. (Not too much oregano or garlic powder)
• Lightly flour pieces of chicken and fry. Mix lightly and cook until chicken is cooked (turns white)
• Add 1/2 cup of Marsala wine and let simmer for a few minutes. Add more wine as desired for taste.
• Throw in sliced mushrooms & peppers, stir and cover. Cook on low heat for 1-2 hours stiring periodically.
• Add a small amount of sauce (1/3 - 1/2 of jar) to give it some taste & color.

Mangia! Enjoy!

The first photo shows my Mom, Loretta, born 3/20/1931, on her wedding day in 1949. To her right is my father, George J Resendes, Sr., and they are flanked by his parents. The second image is my Mom a year before she passed away in December 1998. When cooking for family and friends, she always said, "Make twice as much as you think you need so nobody leaves hungry." (Unfortunately, this usually meant that we ate twice as much as we should have.)

QUOTE: "The meal isn't over when I'm full. It's over when I hate myself." -- comedian Louis C. K.

To the left is a very old photo sent to me by my cousin, Linda. It shows my "nonni" (my mom's Mother) on the left and her mother (my great Grandmother) on the right! I once asked which part of Italy and my best recollection is that it was close to Naples!

Mary Sciola Born: Nov. 28, 1894 - March 4, 1980.