Turtle Bend Farm would like to introduce a new and exciting business in Atlanta,
Plan to Plate! Ms. Ashli McMahon has been preparing Turtle Bend Farm CSA Vegetables during this late summer season and here's a recipe from her that you won't want to miss! Please check out her website and see if her business could help your family prepare fresh, homemade meals with more ease and efficiency, not to mention flavor! Read Ashli's column below!
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Another week of sweet, beautiful tomatoes leads me to an old classic, Chicken Cacciatore. Many recipes that you will find call for canned tomatoes, but I had no need to grab my can opener. These pink beauties are full of juice and, paired with fresh basil and oregano, effortlessly make this Italian dish sing. Of course, my fiancé and I had to add our own little twists while we built this meal in our kitchen. He’s a Price, and I am a McMahon. Our friends have always called us the “McPrices”, so this is Chicken Cacciatore: McPrice Style. Hope you enjoy!
For more recipe ideas or to have me plan diverse ways to utilize your CSA ingredients, contact me at ashli@plantoplate.com.
Happy cooking and eating,
Ashli
Chicken Cacciatore: McPrice Style
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 – 4 boneless, skinless breasts of chicken
2 small or 1 large onion, sliced into rings or thin strips
2 small or one large green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 jalapeno, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ C of wine (you can use red or white)
3 - 4 large ripe tomatoes
¾ C chicken broth
¼ C basil, chopped plus basil ribbons for garnish
1 sprig of fresh oregano, leaves minced (save some for garnishing)
pinch of sugar
juice of ½ a lemon
your favorite pasta
freshly grated parmesan cheese
Heat a large skillet with EVOO in the bottom to medium high heat. Season your chicken breasts with salt and pepper. When the oil is nice and hot, add the chicken to the pan. Seal in the flavor by cooking for about 3 -4 minutes on each side. The outside will become golden brown, but the inside will not be cooked all the way through yet. When both sides are browned, remove the chicken to a plate.
Turn your heat down to medium, add the onions and peppers, and season with salt and pepper. Allow the veggies to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, before adding your jalapeno and garlic. Cook another minute and then deglaze your pan with wine. Allow the wine to cook out and then add your big, ripe tomatoes, broth, fresh herbs, sugar, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. (You can use dried herbs here instead of fresh, if that’s what you have on hand. A teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning will do the trick.) Let the liquid come up to a boil, and then turn your heat down to low. Allow the flavors to combine and the liquid to cook down for about 15 minutes. When you are happy with the thickness of your sauce, taste it and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Next, add the chicken breasts back into the pan, turning to coat them with the sauce. Allow them to finish cooking in the sauce, about 15 - 20 more minutes.
Meanwhile, cook up your favorite sauce-soaking pasta to al dente.
To finish, put some pasta into your bowls, top the pasta with chicken, and ladle on your sauce. Grate some fresh parmesan cheese over each bowl and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Buon appetito!
Broccoli growing on white plastic. The plastic was amazing at conserving moisture during our very dry year, not to mention the benefits of keeping the weeds down.
Adam harvesting turnips in one of several turnip patches.
Scarlet Queen Turnips!! Beautiful and delicious.
Swiss rainbow Chard growing beside our old stand of corn. 
Cabbage plants growing on white plastic. The white plastic reflects more light, so the ground is not heated up like it is with black plastic. Amazing how the plants adapted to this environment and did better than similar plants not planted on plastic.
