BEST WOOD-FIRED PIZZA IN ALBANY?

Well…I’ve posted about my Cousin Jim’s and Franco’s Cafe Capriccio in Downtown Albany introducing wood-fired pizza to their award-winning menu…

Now is a great time to visit them to try their newest addition.  I noticed an ad in Metroland this week offering a FREE WOOD FIRED PIZZA with any dinner from their celebrated menu!

FREE WOOD FIRED PIZZA AT Cafe Capriccio!

If you have the opportunity to take advantage of this terrific offer, let me know what you think!

PRINT A COPY OF THIS BLOG PAGE, BRING TO CAFE,  GIVE TO HOST/HOSTESS…AND ENJOY!

Let the hostess know that Cousin Vinnie sent you!

Mangia!

Vinine Rua- Founder, Christopher’s Custom

Chicken-Spanish Style- Arroz Con Polo

This dish is full of flavors and each one is distinctive.  Serve this with your favorite wine…white or red…or beer.

This is how your dish will look after removing the browned chicken

Ingredients for four adults:

4 chicken breasts with bone/skin.  Cut each into quarters.  (You can substitute thighs and cut in halves…but the breast works great…about 4 lbs of chicken.)

Two tablespoons of your better cooking oil…I use Berio extra virgin for everything.

2 cups of chopped onions

1 diced green or red pepper.  (I used one jarred roasted red pepper…because I had it!)

4 oz. of smoked ham or bacon. (I used thick bacon…again…because I had it in the fridge.)

2 cups of medium  or long-grain rice.  (I used Italian risotto.)

Arborio Risotto Rice

1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 small cloves)

1 tablespoon paprika

Kosher sea salt and fresh ground pepper

3 cups chicken broth (4 if you use the risotto…it absorbs more)

1/4 teaspoon loosely packed saffron threads  ( see next photo for a few money saving tricks…)

Outstanding chicken broth and saffron alternative

This College Inn  chicken broth container is 4 cups and perfect for this dish.  the Sazon Goya is a super alternative to saffron.  Props to my Cousin Franco from Cafe Capriccio for introducing me to the Sazon!   The white wine is  Chardonnay…again…because I had it in my fridge and it’s better for cooking than Pinot Grigio…I prefer the Pinot to drink…but the Chardonnay definitely imparts more flavor.

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup of Goya capers

Let’s get started!

Salt and pepper your chicken to your taste and place in a tall-sided12-14″ pan in the 2 tablespoons of your oil heated to medium

Brown for 4-5 minutes each side.

Remove chicken from the pan and set aside for later.   No need to tent…just place in clean bowl.

If the chicken has created a lot of fat, remove all but 3 tablespoons of liquid from your pan and add the chopped onion and chopped bacon.  Reduce heat and cook the onion until translucent but not brown.

Add the risotto and toss so that all the rice is coated with the oil/fat mixture.

Cook over low heat, adding the garlic, paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper.

Stir for a minute or two.

If you sense that some of the rice has stuck to the bottom, or if there is a good amount of chicken that had stuck, heat 1/2 cup of any white wine in a microwave for 30 seconds…do not use cold wine…deglaze the pan with the room-temperature wine, scraping any rice/chicken loose to become part of the dish.

Add 3 cups chicken stock, and 1/3 of one packet of the Sazon Goya.  (The Sazon comes in small packets about 2″ in size.)Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium.  Place the chicken pieces on top of the rice.

Cover and heat over medium to low heat for 20 minutes.

Add the peas and capers.  spread on top of the chicken…sprinkle the oregano on top of your dish, re-cover, and cook for another 10 minutes over low-medium heat.

Remove from the heat, place on a trivet and serve out of your pan!

Enjoy! The flowers were from our 31st Anniversary!

Mangia!

Fall Is Here…Along with Sunday Dinners!

Just attended my latest HS Reunion…a few of my classmates asked about when I was going to post some new recipes.

The weather had cooled today, the Giants were playing along with the Yankees…doesn’t get much better to be in your kitchen with a few brews, good sports, and some ideas about dinner!

Although many of my friends think of me as Italian…I’m really 1/2 Italian; 1/2 German…and today I made a dish I had created almost 30 years ago!  It is essentially German…with an Italian twist.

Pork loin, sausage,sauer kraut, & apples!

OK…this dish is very simple to make!

For 2 adults with plenty of leftovers…or 4 moderately hungry adults with some salad, and dessert, this is what you need to do:

1.5 pounds of pork loin.

1.5 pounds of sweet Italian sausage.  This is the Italian “twist”.  If you have a favorite salumaria and there is a sausage with a little more pepper, that is perfect!  Do not use “hot” sausage…we are not looking for spicey hot here…but the extra pepper complements the pork.

One jar or package of sauer kraut- 16 oz.

6 medium-sized apples- your choice.  Cut each into quarters, removing the stems and seeds.

One clove of garlic-peeled.  (If you don’t work with garlic, simply peel one clove of garlic off a bulb, place on a flat surface, put the palm of your hand on the clove, and press down.  The cover of the garlic clove will break and you can easily peel the garlic.)

1)  Cut the garlic in 1/2.  Take one half of the clove and rub the pork loin with the 1/2 half of garlic clove well.   Discard the garlic used for the rub and any remaining garlic.

2)  Cut three small slivers off the second 1/2 of the clove.  Pierce your pork loin with a sharp knife and insert the three small slivers.  Space evenly throughout the pork.

3)  Generously salt with kosher salt and pepper.  Press the salt and pepper into the pork loin.

4)  Cut your sausage links into 3″ links…if your sausage is cut in links, typically, you’d cut each link in 1/2.

5)  Use a Pyrex or other dish with 2-3″ sides that will hold the loin and sausages comfortably.  Line the Pyrex dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  I pour it in, and spread it around with my fingers.

6)  Place the pork in the Pyrex dish and place the sausage on a metal baking sheet.

7) Put the pork and the sausage in a pre-heated 450 degree oven.

8)  Turn the pork over after 15 minutes to brown each side.

9)  Remove the pork and sausage from the oven after 3o minutes.  Remove the pork  from the Pyrex dish and place the sauer kraut in the bottom of the Pyrex dish.  Place the pork loin in the center and sausage around the sides on top of the kraut.

10) Lower the oven to 300 degrees, and return the Pyrex dish with the pork loin and sausage to the oven- uncovered.

11)  Check your pork loin after 30 minutes with a meat thermometer.  Your dish is done when the center of the pork registers 160 degrees.

12)  Lower your oven to 200 degrees or “warm” until you are close to eating.

13)  Approximately 20 minutes before you intend to eat, add the apples on top of the meat, cover with the top to the dish or aluminum foil, and return to the oven, raising the heat to 400 degrees.  Remove after 15 minutes.

14)  Remove the pork from the dish and tent for at least 5 minutes with aluminum foil…if you are not ready to eat, leave sitting with an aluminum tent for up to 45 minutes…it will remain warm and is actually easier to cut.

15)  When your other dishes are ready, if any, cut the pork loin into 1/2″ slices, and place on a serving plate.  Surround with the sausages pieces, and sauer kraut.  Top with the apples and serve!

Finally…if you enjoy beer, try Lake Placid’s Hefeweizen…it is absolutely perfect!  It’s the one of the best hefeweizen I’ve ever had!

Mangia!