Spicy Red Wine and Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce

It snowed another couple of inches last night, so we stayed in. I made this sauce from what was on hand. It turned out to be very tasty! I served it with fettuccine and broccoli, but any pasta and vegetables would work. I think shrimp would be a nice substitute for the chicken too. As always, have fun with it!



1-2 T EVOO
1/2 Onion - diced
1 Celery stalk - dice
s/p
1 Chicken Breast (boneless, skinless) - diced into small pieces and seasoned with s/p (optional)
3 cloves Garlic - diced
1/4 - 1/2 c Red Wine
Garlic Chili Sauce (or other hot sauce)
1/2 28oz can Muir Glen Whole Fire Roasted Tomatoes
fresh Thyme
Fresh Basil - chiffonade
1 T cold Butter
1 1/2 c Broccoli Florets - Blanched, Chilled in an Ice Bath, and Drained (not needed for the sauce, but it adds flavor, color and great texture)

If you're making pasta with the sauce, start to boil a large pot of water. I blanched my broccoli, and then cooked the pasta in the same water. Don't forget to heavily salt the water before cooking anything in it.

Heat EVOO in a skillet over med-low heat. Then, add the onions and celery. Stir occasionally.



When the onions are clear, add the chicken pieces to the pan.



Turn the heat up a little so that the chicken browns, but doesn't burn. You're looking for a golden brown.

Stir in the garlic.

Once the chicken has started to brown, deglaze the pan with your red wine. You want the pan to be hot when the wine is added. If you're scared of the alcohol flaring up, turn the flame off as you add the wine. Then, turn it back on.

Use a spatula to scrape up and incorporate any brown bits from the bottom and sides of the pan into the sauce.

Mini Frittata (Chicken and Broccoli) - Part A

I got the idea of using a muffin tin from Miss Molly. She made Green Egg and Ham Mini Frittatas for a baby shower. They were so cute and tasty that I've made several since. Other than broccoli/chicken and pesto(green eggs)/ham, I've also made turkey/chipotle gouda, sun dried tomato/pepperoni and asparagus/green onion combos. Use what's in your fridge, play around with the flavors and make it your own.



6 eggs
3/4 c Mlik
1/4 c Cream
1-2 T Melted Butter (optional)
1 c Cheese - shredded (I used a Mexican blend)
1 1/2 c Chicken - cooked and shredded or diced
1/2 c Broccoli - finely chopped
1/2 c Cauliflower - finely chopped
Garlic Salt
White Pepper
Garlic Chili Sauce
1 T Dried Oregano
1/2 t Smoked Paprika

Preheat oven to 300° F

Whisk the eggs, milk, and cream furiously for a few minutes.

Stir your butter, cheese, meat and veggies into the egg mixture.



Season to taste.



Using nonstick cooking spray, grease two muffin tins. If you only have one, cook in batches. You can also cover and refrigerate the rest for the next day. Look for my next post for some tasty ideas.

With a measuring cup or an ice cream scoop, fill the baking cups. Stir the eggs as you go so that you'll have an even mixture of stuff in each muffin cup.