Rainy Day Dishes

It rained today! Not a real storm, but enough to water the plants and confuse Hobbes, my cat. He’s never seen rain before! What a blessing those droplets were. Don’t you love the smell of the earth after a rainfall, even a puny one? My plants and I thank you, sky. Hobbes? Not so much.

I have been wanting to make a dish that my best friend, Angie gave me a long time ago, Chicketti. Angie is all Italian all the way and this is a recipe her mother made for her family. This is a favorite of Angie's daughters, Julie and Gigi as well. They serve it whenever they have a large dinner party because it's so tasty and because one pound of spaghetti and 4 chicken breasts can feed an army!  Clara, Angie’s mother,  lived to be 100. Maybe this is one of her secrets of longevity.  Today seemed like a good time to try it. Here is the recipe:


                                                               Clara’s Chicketti

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water or chicken broth
4 stalks celery, sliced.
1 onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons margarine or butter.
1 lb. angel hair spaghetti
1 can beef consume
1 small can sliced black olives
8-oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

Season chicken breasts with oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Heat olive oil over med. high heat and brown the chicken on each side. Add the 1/4 cup water or chicken broth, cover, and simmer until chicken is done and tender, about 20 minutes. When chicken is done, remove to cutting board to cool briefly then cut or tear into bite-size pieces. Set aside. Save the cooking broth!

In another pan, saute onion and celery in 2 Tablespoons margarine or butter until soft. Set aside.

In large pot pour can of consume, cooking broth from chicken, and 3-4 cans water. Bring to boil and add angel hair spaghetti. Bring back to boil and cook about 4-5  minutes. When spaghetti is done add chicken, celery and onions, black olives, and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Optional: Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Serves 6-8.

 When I am cutting vegetables I keep a GB (garbage bowl) next to my cutting board. It keeps the counter clean and when I'm finished chopping I can just dump the contents of the GB into the garbage can or, if you have one, a compost container.  Just a little tip I picked up from Rachael Ray.

I love squash, any kind of squash: acorn, butternut, Delicata, you name it. The other day I found a new one, Kabocha squash. It looks like a small green pumpkin. A sticker on the squash had a recipe for sauteeing it. I thought it might go well with the Chicketti. The recipe called for rendering 4 pieces of bacon. Everything’s better with bacon, right? Except that I didn’t have any bacon! I moved on and followed the rest of the recipe. I sauteed half an onion, chopped, in 2 Tablespoons butter until soft and then added half the squash that I had seeded and cut into 1” cubes,  leaving the skin on. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and sauteed it about 10 minutes. Then I added 1/4 cup chicken broth, clapped a lid on and steamed it until tender, yet firm, about 5-7 minutes. When it was done I added 2 leaves of sliced fresh sage and a sprinkling of grated nutmeg. I did not miss the bacon! Another squash to love!

So I served the Chicketti with the squash and an Autumn salad of greens, sliced Granny Smith apples, pecans, and orange-flavored dried cranberries. I dressed it with my favorite bottled vinegrette,  Girard's Champagne Dressing. It all seemed to work.