Chicken paprikash is an old time Hungarian stew - rich in flavor, beautiful in color, and easy to make.  It’s a great weeknight meal, and if you make enough, you can have leftovers for another meal.  I like to serve it over rice, but the traditional way is to serve it over egg noodles.  Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS

1 cut up chicken

1 sliced onion

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon paprika

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 thinly sliced red bell pepper

1 can of diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce) with juices

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

2. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Brown the chicken skin side down about 4-5 minutes.  Turn over for another 3 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.

3. Drain most of the fat from the Dutch oven.  Cook the onion and bell pepper for 2 minutes.  Add the broth and stir, cook for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and paprika.  Bring to a simmer.

4. Put the chicken back in the pot and put in the oven for 30 minutes.

5. Serve over rice, noodles, or polenta.

5 tips to preserve leftover wine

What do you do? You open a bottle wine to serve with dinner and don’t finish it with the meal. What should you do to save the leftover wine so you can either drink it at another time or use it for sauces and marinades?

While the wine won’t taste the same as it during the initial tasting, there are some techniques you can use to save leftover wine. Here are five of our favorite tips to save leftover wine:

Refrigerate the Wine. It is essential refrigerate leftover wine. This rule applies to red and white wine, as chilling keeps the leftover contents as fresh as possible. Store for approximately 3-4 days.

Remove the Air. Purchase a gadget (wine pump, wine saver, wine vaccum) to help you remove the extra air from the bottle thereby creating a vacuum effect to preserve the wine. Prices range around $6 and up. Simply pump out the air from the bottle, refrigerate and consume within 3-4 days.

Recork. Moisten the cork by dipping into some wine, push it back into the bottle (as far as possible) and refrigerate. This method works for red and white wine.  The wine will lose some of its luster, but will be drinkable for a few days.  Take the red wine out 30 minutes prior to drinking. Stores for approximately 3-4 days.

Repurpose an Empty Wine Split. A clever option to store leftover wine is to put the wine into a smaller wine bottle. You can find empty wine splits at specialty stores or recycle a wine split. Simply transfer the leftover wine into the smaller bottle, cork the bottle and refrigerate. Stores for approximately 3-4 days.

Freeze. Transfer the wine to a plastic container or heavy-duty zip-lock bag and freeze it to use in cooking at a later date.

Do you have a favorite technique or tip to save (or use) leftover wine? Share it with us in the comment section below.

Mama Says, waste not want not! Even with leftover wine.  Don’t forget February 27th is Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) 2010.

Portobello mushrooms were on special at the market this week, which inspired this budget-friendly and satisfying pasta for a meatless main course.  Serve with a hearty green salad for a quick and delicious week night dinner.

Penne with Portobello Mushrooms

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 12 ounces fresh (small) Portobello mushrooms
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 cup dry white wine (or combination of wine and chicken stock)

12 ounces penne

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Wipe mushrooms with a dry paper towel to clean them. Don’t wash them! Trim off the bottom of the stem along with any bad parts, and slice the mushroom with the caps 1/4-inch thick (bite-sized pieces). Set aside.
2. In a small stockpot or medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter. Add the chopped onions; sauté until soft, about 5 minutes, add garlic and stir for one minute.  Add the mushrooms and thyme sprigs, salt and pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add wine and broth if using, bring to a boil, reduce the heat medium, simmer until liquids are reduced by half and vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook, pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Place pasta in a serving bowl and top with mushroom mixture. Add ½ of the grated Parmesan cheese. Toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with using, remaining Parmesan cheese as a garnish.

  Note from the cook: I used whole wheat penne pasta and served the mushroom mixture on top of the pasta. Per my usual preference, I cooked with Evolution Wine from Sokol Blosser (a nod to my former home in Oregon).

Mama Says Reminder: Valentine’s Day is 16 days away. It’s time to mail your cards and notes. The Mama Says, “No More Frozen Pizza!” recipe collection contains recipes for main courses, sides, and salads. The durable, laminated cards can withstand even the newest chef’s mishaps and require few ingredients (most are pantry staples). Each recipe card features a photo of the completed dish and easy-to-follow instructions. Give the gift of a healthy lifestyle to someone you care about! Order today.

A healthy meal for Bowl Game viewing

It’s going to be (yet) another sports weekend in our house – outdoor activities and must-watch sporting events. To create a festive mood for game time, I’m making a taco salad for dinner – it’s healthy, delicious, low-fat and quick. This recipe can be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd for a Bowl Game Party. Thankfully, taco salad combines many of my favorite snack items so I’ll be less tempted by chips and dip…

Quick and Healthy Taco Salad

4 servings

Ingredients

• 12 ounces ground round or lean turkey
• 2 cups chopped yellow, red, or green bell pepper (or 1 medium onion, diced)
• 2 cups bottled salsa
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 cups coarsely chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 cups chopped plum tomato
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup crumbled baked tortilla chips (about 12 chips)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• Optional toppings – low fat sour cream, pickled or fresh jalapenos, additional salsa, diced avocado, or guacamole

Preparation

1. Cook meat and bell pepper or onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until meat is browned; stir to crumble. Add salsa; bring to a boil. Stir in cilantro; keep warm.
2. Place 1 cup lettuce on each of 4 plates; top with 1 cup meat mixture. Sprinkle each serving with 1/2 cup tomato, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup chips, and 1 tablespoon onions.

For vegetarian guests, pan cook tilapia fillets (about 3- 4 minutes/side) on medium-high, remove from pan; keep warm. Sauté some diced onions for 5 minutes until soft then stir in some salsa, bring to a boil. Place lettuce on the plate, 3 oz of fish, generous ladle of onion salsa mixture, and other toppings.

Serving suggestion for a crowd – create a taco bar: Set out plates or bowls with the lettuce and meat and invite your guests to top their own taco salad.

Any suggestions for a healthy, delicious and low fat dessert for half-time?

Recipe inspiration: Cooking Light, October, 1999 myrecipes.com; Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Mama Says: There is no reason to order a pizza when you can whip-up a thrifty, quick and tasty meal in minutes. Ask a friend prepare the toppings while you saute the meat and salsa.

Sparkling Wine: Riondo Prosecco (Italy)

Thrifty Tip of the week from Mama Says – sparkling wine to ring in the New Year. Entertain your guests with a sparkle without out breaking the bank.  Or bring your NYE hostess a bubbly wine (at a bargain price) to keep the party flowing. There is no need to drink cheap sparkling wine or to break the bank to serve a single bottle of fancy Champagne when you can offer your guests Prosecco (Italy).

During that past several months, I’ve served this delicious wine to celebrate a special birthday and for a ‘Just Because’ dinner.

Riondo Prosecco Italy Sparkling NV 750ml

This sparkling wine is a party in bottle – with a simple green label. It’s delicate, clean and bubbly.  And at around $10 a bottle it is a bargain. Buy one for a special toast and another to make peach bellini (here’s recipe from Rachel Ray).  You don’t have to take my word for it; Robert Parker of Wine Advocate (WA) gave this gem a 90, noting:

“This effusively fruity, light-bodied offering offers terrific floral notes, persistent effervescence, and a clean, delicate finish. There is not much body or weight in this crystal clean, pure, sparkling white.”

A little background: Prosecco is a grape variety from the Veneto region of Italy. It’s bubbly-ness or sparkle is an

elegant fizz, while the nose is a soft melon and citrus. The Riondo Prosecco has only 10.5% alcohol, so it doesn’t wallop you with a heavy punch – rather it’s a lovely sipper – a great to start the evening. This wine is so delicious and pairs easily with a variety of foods – from salty to spicy or a fruit plate.

And the good news, it is widely available. I’ve purchased it at Costco and Whole Foods.  Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year.  Thank you for joining us in the kitchen.