Rocco's Famous CHICKEN CACCIATORE over SOFT POLENTA
These recipes are from Rocco's Café, South of Market, San Francisco
SOFT POLENTA
Ingredients:
Method:
1. Bring to Boil 6 Cups Chicken Broth & 2 Cups Polenta (or Any 3-to-1 Ratio)
2. Whisk in Polenta; Keep Boiling while Whisking
3. Add ½ Cube Butter, Pinch of Pepper, Pinch of Parsley, & 3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
4. Let Simmer for 5 minutes
5. Now Place Polenta on Deep Plate ready for the Chicken to be Placed on Top
6. Place left-over Polenta into Square Deep Pan and Refrigerate to use next day
CHICKEN CACCIATORE
Ingredients:
Method:
1. Place 2 4-Oz. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts in the Olive Oil in a medium saute pan
2. Add ½ Sliced Green Bell Pepper & ½ Sliced Yellow Onion & Heat in Olive Oil
3. Next, Drain the Olive Oil & Cut the Chicken Breasts into Strips
4. Then Add Teaspoon Minced Garlic, ½ Cup Chopped Tomatoes, 1 Cup Sliced Mushrooms & ¼ Cup Whole Black Olives
5. Then add Pinches of Pepper, Basil, & Dry Oregano
6. Pour ¾ Cup White Wine, 1 Cup Beef Broth, ½ Cup Chicken Broth, & ¼ Cup Tomato Sauce into the pan and Reduce to thicken
7. Now Place the Chicken over the Soft Polenta & Serve
Rocco's Famous Ways to Make & Serve POLENTA
1. SOFT POLENTA
Ingredients:
Method:
1. Bring to Boil 6 Cups Chicken Broth & 2 Cups Polenta (or Any 3-to-1 Ratio)
2. Whisk in Polenta; Keep Boiling and Whisking
3. Add ½ Cube Butter, Pinch of Parsley, and 3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
4. Let Simmer for 5 minutes
5. Now Place on Deep Plate ready for Chicken to be Placed on Top
THE FOLLOWING POLENTA DISHES USE REFRIGERATED POLENTA MADE BY POURING SOFT POLENTA INTO A SQUARE DEEP PAN AND REFRIGERATINGOVERNIGHT.
2. GRILLED POLENTA
Method:
1. Turn Square Pan upside down and Pop Out Refrigerated Polenta
2. Slice Polenta like a loaf of bread into ½" thick slices
3. Place Polenta Slices in Iron Skillet with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a little Butter and Cook until Brown on both sides
4. Serve with Poached Eggs on top, or Cheese & Marinara Sauce, or Plain with Steamed Vegetables
3. GRILLED POLENTA STICKS
Method:
1. Turn Square Pan upside down and Pop Out Refrigerated Polenta
2. Slice into Desired Stick Shapes, like French Fries
3. Roll Polenta Sticks in Bread Crumbs
4. Place Polenta Sticks in Iron Skillet with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a little Butter and Cook until Brown on all sides
4. GRILLED POLENTA APPETIZERS
Method:
1. Turn Square Pan upside down and Pop Out Refrigerated Polenta
2. Slice into Desired Appetizer Shapes similar to Sticks above
3. Roll Polenta Appetizers in Bread Crumbs
4. Place Polenta Appetizers in Iron Skillet with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a little Butter and Cook until brown on all sides
5. GRILLED POLENTA CROUTONS
Method:
1. Turn Square Pan upside down and Pop Out Refrigerated Polenta
2. Slice into Small, Square, Crouton Shapes
3. Roll Polenta Croutons in Bread Crumbs
4. Place Polenta Croutons in Iron Skillet with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a little Butter and Cook until brown on all sides
Web site: www.RoccosCafe.com
About Don Dial, Chef/Owner of Rocco's Café, South of Market
Don Dial grew up with Italian cooking in his blood. His mother was a typical Italian mom, always cooking or baking something from scratch, and both his grandfather and uncle ran successful Italian restaurants in San Francisco spanning over five decades. As a young boy, Don would spend many hours with his family rolling dough into little pillow shapes to make fresh Gnocchi pasta, picking fresh blackberries for blackberry pie, or canning peaches, pears and apples for winter.
By the age of 18, Don was ready to put this valuable experience to use and entered the restaurant business as a line cook for a very popular Italian restaurant in North Beach, quickly advancing to Night Manager. By this time, Don knew that some day he would own his own Italian restaurant in San Francisco.
Rocco's Cafe is named after Don's grandfather, Rocco Coscarelli, who ran Rocco's Fine Food restaurant for more than 20 years; the key ingredients were quality, quantity, and personality. This old-school Italian recipe for success was passed down to Don, who 17 years ago opened Rocco's Cafe in his honor.
Today, Rocco's enjoys a loyal following of regular customers who keep coming back to this South of Market neighborhood institution to experience the flavor of Italy with the feeling of Old North Beach. With Don as Chef everything is Special and each dish is an Original cooked with individual attention.