MADDIE DAY here, on a rainy spring morning. Our New England weather has been ping-ponging from hot to cold to rainy to whatever this spring. Last week it was downright chilly, and I wanted to make something warm and delicious for dinner.
Years ago I visited a professor friend in Baltimore. Ellen Contini-Morava cooked up her version of Chicken Ezekiel. It was so fabulous I demanded the recipe. She used whole chicken parts, but for only two of us I went with two boneless chicken thighs, and I added mushrooms because they needed to be used.
What I didn't know until last week was that this is a dish Italian Jews made, according to Joyce Goldstein's Cucina Ebraica, a cookbook about the cuisine of Italian Jews.
Then I remembered I included a mention of the dish at the start of When the Grits Hit the Fan, the third Country Store Mystery, but I didn't include the recipe.
I'd love to send a commenter a copy of the book! And without further ado, I present:
Chicken Ezekiel
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 big garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
Pinch of sugar
1/2 pound rotini or other shaped pasta
Preparation:
Saute the mushrooms in one tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven or large, heavy skillet with a lid over medium-low heat.
Remove to a plate.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add more oil to the same pot and brown the chicken pieces for about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and saute for one minute.
Return the mushrooms to the pot and add tomatoes, olives, pinch of sugar, wine, and rosemary. Stir together until the tomatoes begin to bubble and smell fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Cover and cook 25 to 30 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring at regular intervals.
The chicken will be quite tender. Add freshly ground pepper; taste and
adjust the salt, if necessary (the olives are salty). Garnish with more rosemary if desired. Serve hot over rotini, with freshly ground parmesan on top.
Readers: How do you like your pasta? I'll send one lucky commenter (who includes an email address) a copy of When the Grits Hit the Fan.
Sounds delicious I am going to make this some night. Jconklin7911@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI like pasta simply with butter and tomatoes. This recipe looks quick and easy, thank you! Kathylynn103@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteThank you for the recipe. Planning on trying it out tonight!
ReplyDeleteI will definitely try this…it looks delicious! I like pasta with a little olive oil and lemon. cking78503(at)aol(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThank you for the Chicken Ezekiel recipe! Sounds yummy and would be the perfect thing for today's rainy and dreary weather here today. Reducing the amount would be what I'd do too since it's just two of us too.
ReplyDeleteCan't imagine a was we don't like pasta. We love it in main dishes, as a side in a salad or just as a complimenting side dish. It can be with lots of other ingredients or as simple as with butter. Over the years, I think I've cooked with just about every kind, size and shape of pasta, but always looking for another way.
Thank you for the fabulous opportunity to win a copy of "When the Grits Hit the Fan"! It's one of the few books of yours I've not had the opportunity to read yet. Shared and hoping that I might be the fortunate one selected.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Thank you for the opportunity to win.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I am not a huge fan of pasta, but my husband likes it any way I fix it. Leftover pasta is simply sauteed with butter and garlic.
sharonquiltsatyahoodotcom
Oh Edith, I think I may make this tonight, in spite of the warm, sunny day coming up! And how have I not read, yet, “When Grits Hit the Fan” as I so love grits!
ReplyDeleteI like pasta with meatballs and tomato sauce, with cheese, with feta and tomatoes..I like pasta any and all ways...
ReplyDeleteI like pasta tossed in butter and garlic salt, and topped with tomato sauce.
ReplyDeleteKitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net
welcome today. what a wonderful cover. thanks for sharing this recipe. I cant do pasta anymore (but my husband can so I cook it for him) I used to love it in casseroles and plain old mac and cheese quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
ReplyDeleteLove this. Have copied and printed it. It's hard to name a favorite way I like pasta, but this time of year in hot, humid Atlanta, I'm fond of a angel hair pasta recipe made with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. You add all that plus seasonings to hot pasta, and the cheese melts and makes perfect "warmish" dish to eat on the screened porch. kathymanospenn@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteKathy, congratulations! You won the copy of When the Grits Hit the Fan. Please check your email.
DeleteThis recipe is delectable and I will make it. I do enjoy pasta and make it often. My favorite is pasta with cherry tomatoes, basil, and artichokes. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteSounds great.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun that it's from one of your books, only now we have the recipe.
libbydodd at comcast dot net
Looks good! Our weather in Oklahoma has been as crazy as yours lately. But soon it will just be plain hot all the time. Thanks for a new recipe to try. Michele4ou@att.net Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed learning about the origins of this recipe and exploring the cookbook which is fascinating. The recipe is perfect. I like light pastas with a lemon flavor, and a variety of veggies. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteNot entering to win - already own all the books. But just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed the series! I remember this book because there were a couple of scary scenes that I loved because they got my adrenaline going.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe! Looking forward to trying it.
ReplyDeleteOh that looks soooo good! I like any type of pasta with a red sauce. The chicken is a plus. oreotime@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteI love the series. This sounds like a good pasta dish. Since we went low carb we eat less pasta. Chick pea pasta isn’t too bad in this style of dish, I’m happy to say. Smokeyglass1@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI like my pasta with garlic, butter and salt. Recipe looks delicious, I'm going to try the next time I cook pasta.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks for sharing! It looks delicious. I like my pasta gooey with cheese so I am a huge fan of lasagna and baked ziti. cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteoooh, company-worthy recipe! . . . and terrific books! You make life better <3
ReplyDelete"How do you like your pasta?" I love thick and chewy pasta. Heavy pasta. Overcooked and chewy. Al dente and chewy. Something with bite. Just no limp or soggy, over-boiled pasta. And, of course, no pasta that has turned into glue / paste, which I occasional create with microwave experiments, and then it has to be thrown out!
ReplyDeletejsmith[delete brackets]3may[delete brackets]2011
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DeleteI love cooking pasta dishes. I also love recipes that have a "heritage" as this one does. I would have to forgo the mushrooms, I am allergic!! Egoehner(at)roadrunner(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI like my pasta almost anyway imaginable, except over or uncooked!
ReplyDeletemakennedyinaz (at) hotmail (dot) com Happy dining!
This is an amazing sounding dish. My husband has stopped eating wheat. I will try this with chickpea pasta. And yes, please at the chance of a free book!
ReplyDeleteI like my pasta cooked a little more than al dente. I like pasta just about any way - with meat sauce, with lots of veggies, with seafood, with pesto and chicken, etc. This recipe looks both easy and delicious!
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
That sounds and looks delicious. I love when people post recipes and include them in their books.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I love your book titles and covers. lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love it with bolognese sauce and cooked well not al dente. Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteJess
maceoindo(at)yahoo(com)
This recipe has all the goodies that I love, I think I will try a version in my slow cooker to enhance all the flavors into the chicken thighs. Thank you! lindalou64(@)live(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love pasta! Ziti is a favorite. All dente with lots of sauce and cheese! Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeletejarjm1980(at)hotmail(dot)com
Congratulations to Kathy Manos Penn, who won the copy of When the Grits Hit the Fan!
ReplyDeleteI'm very late to this post, but I just finished Grilled for Murder (which I loved). I will start When the Grits Hit the Fan tonight, but wanted to check out what Chicken Ezekiel is and this post came up. I have bookmarked it to add into our cooking rotation as well as added Joyce Goldstein's book to my TBR. Thank you for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteI commented anonymously by mistake. Hopefully it will go through :) In case it does not, thank you for the recipe. Off to listen to When the Grits Hit the Fan now.
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