Spring Ragout Easy All-In-One Entree
When I am planning a menu for a dinner party, I love to use all-in-one main courses - dishes which include meat and vegetables in one preparation.
What I like best is that I can cook them a day or more ahead when I am not frenzied, and then reheat them when needed. A salad of mixed greens and some good bread are all that are necessary as accompaniments.
Recently I created a spring ragout which falls into this all-in-one genre. I sauteed diced prosciutto until crisp in a large, deep pan and combined that with cooked sliced onions and carrots. Then I browned chunks of boneless chicken breast and simmered them along with the vegetables and prosciutto in wine and stock, adding thyme, rosemary, parsley and bay leaves.
This ragout, which is cooked about 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender, can be cooled and refrigerated for up to two days. At serving time, I simply reheat the ragout and add sugar snap peas as a last vegetable and simmer them for a couple of minutes.
I often serve this delicious stew over cooked pasta, but it is equally good with cooked white or brown rice. Along with salad and bread as side dishes, you could offer homemade or store-bought lemon sorbet topped with fresh blueberries for dessert.
Spring Ragout With Chicken, Carrots and Sugar Snap Peas
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 pound sliced prosciutto, trimmed of all fat and cut into 1/4 -inch dice
4 cups peeled, halved and thinly sliced onions (2 large)
2 cups peeled, thinly sliced carrots (about 3 large)
Dash sugar
About 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon salt, plus more if needed
1/4 teaspoon pepper, plus more if needed
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
1-1/2 cups beef stock
1 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves, broken in half
3 to 4 parsley sprigs plus 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish, preferably flat leaf
1-1/4 pounds fresh fettuccine, or 1 pound dried
6 ounces sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in large heavy deep-sided pan with lid. When hot, add prosciutto and saute, stirring, until just crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Add additional 1/2 tablespoon oil to pan and heat until hot. Add onions, carrots and sugar and cook, stirring, until onions are golden, about 6 minutes. Remove vegetables and set aside.
Add just enough remaining oil to coat bottom of pan. When hot, add enough chicken pieces to fit comfortably in single layer and cook, turning pieces, until lightly browned. Remove to side dish. Continue, adding more oil as needed until all chicken is browned.
Return all chicken to pan and sprinkle with flour. Toss chicken in pan and cook 1 minute more. Return prosciutto, onions and carrots to pan along with thyme, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken and beef stocks, wine, bay leaves and parsley sprigs. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer until chicken is tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
Remove from heat. Discard bay leaves and parsley. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. (Ragout can be made 1 to 2 days ahead to this point; cool, cover and refrigerate. When ready to proceed, reheat over medium heat, stirring often.)
When ready to serve, cook fettuccine in 6 quarts boiling salted water until tender, 3 to 4 minutes for fresh pasta and about 12 minutes for dried. Drain. Place on serving plate and cover loosely with foil. Stir sugar snap peas into simmering ragout and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Ladle ragout over pasta. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Yield: 6 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 828 calories, 17 grams fat (18 percent fat calories), 76 grams protein, 82 grams carbohydrate, 149 milligrams cholesterol, 1867 milligrams sodium.