[Kitchen Witch]

Macaroni Grill Bella Napoli


1/2 pound pasta sheets, may substitute won tons
Oil, for deep-frying

Asiago Cream Sauce
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/16 teaspoon chicken soup base
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon Asiago cheese
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 ounce water
2 to 3 cups mozzarella cheese
Kalamata olive, sliced
Banana peppers, sliced
Chopped tomato
1/2 to 1 cup Asiago cheese, grated
1 piece cooked Italian sausage
1 piece cooked, sweet Italian sausage

Make cream sauce first by heating the cream until very hot and just bubbly, but not to a boil. Add the chicken base and cheese. Stir constantly with a wire whisk and bring temperature back to just bubbly.

Dissolve cornstarch in the cold water and add to the sauce. Bring to a slow simmer to cook out starchy taste. Transfer sauce to a container for use later. (May be refrigerated.)

Cut the pasta sheets into triangles and deep-fry in oil, heated to 375 degrees F. Fry to a nice chip color. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with Asiago cheese.

Assembly: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and put rack at top of oven. Put half of the chips onto an oven safe plate. Pour cream sauce of the chips then top with the remaining chips. Sprinkle with sausage, tomatoes, peppers, olives, mozzarella, and more Asiago. Put it the oven and bake until cheese just starts to brown.

Yield: 4 servings




Macaroni Grill Bella Napoli

1/2 pound pasta sheets, may substitute won tons
Oil, for deep-frying

Asiago Cream Sauce
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/16 teaspoon chicken soup base
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon Asiago cheese
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 ounce water
2 to 3 cups mozzarella cheese
Kalamata olive, sliced
Banana peppers, sliced
Chopped tomato
1/2 to 1 cup Asiago cheese, grated
1 piece cooked Italian sausage
1 piece cooked, sweet Italian sausage

Make cream sauce first by heating the cream until very hot and just bubbly, but not to a boil. Add the chicken base and cheese. Stir constantly with a wire whisk and bring temperature back to just bubbly.

Dissolve cornstarch in the cold water and add to the sauce. Bring to a slow simmer to cook out starchy taste. Transfer sauce to a container for use later. (May be refrigerated.)

Cut the pasta sheets into triangles and deep-fry in oil, heated to 375 degrees F. Fry to a nice chip color. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with Asiago cheese.

Assembly: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and put rack at top of oven. Put half of the chips onto an oven safe plate. Pour cream sauce of the chips then top with the remaining chips. Sprinkle with sausage, tomatoes, peppers, olives, mozzarella, and more Asiago. Put it the oven and bake until cheese just starts to brown.

Yield: 4 servings




Macaroni Grill Chick l'Orange

8 to 10 ounces sliced thin boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 ounce diced Andouille or smoked sausage
1/4 ounce diced carrots
1/4 ounce diced red bell pepper
1/4 ounce diced celery
1/4 ounce diced onion
1 clove crushed garlic
1/2 ounce olive oil
2 ounces soy sauce
1 splash white wine
1 cup orange juice

Cut whole breast in half, and then from side to side, yielding 4 breast shaped slices of chicken. Dip in the soy sauce. In a hot pan, start with olive oil, then add carrots, red bell peppers, and andouille; saute for 2 minutes. Add celery and onion; saute for 2 minutes. Look for clear onions, and slight burning on edges of vegetables. Add chicken to pan, searing both sides, while scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent burning. Add garlic. De-glaze with white wine; add orange juice and reduce by half. The sauce should have a rich brown color, with a slight hint of orange. Serve with white rice and steamed broccoli.

Servings: 4




Macaroni Grill Chicken Cannelloni

Cannelloni Filling
8 ounces chicken breast (about 2), cooked thoroughly
1 ounce fresh spinach, chopped
1 ounce sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
16 ounces ricotta cheese
3 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon table-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
12 lasagna pasta sheets, approximate size of 5 x 6 inches

Cannelloni Sauce
16 ounces Asiago cream sauce, or your favorite Alfredo sauce
16 ounces Macaroni Grill tomato sauce, or your favorite
tomato-based pasta sauce
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

Once the chicken breast has been cooked thoroughly, allow it to cool to an internal temperature of 45 degrees F.

Dice the cooled chicken breast into 1/2-inch pieces and place into a large mixing bowl. Add spinach, tomatoes, ricotta, mozzarella, pepper and salt, and mix thoroughly.

Arrange precooked pasta sheets on a cutting board and place two or three rounded tablespoons of filling mixture down the center of each pasta sheet and carefully roll pasta around filling in a cigar fashion. Place the rolled cannelloni, side by side, into an ovenproof shallow baking dish. Place Asiago sauce (or Alfredo sauce) and tomato sauce in bowl and mix until well incorporated. Pour sauce over cannelloni covering completely. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over top of sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes.

Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached. Remove from oven and serve family style or on individual plates garnished with fresh diced tomatoes, and basil or Italian parsley.

Serves 6.