in the kitchen: chicken cacciatore casserole and butter lettuce salad

Today, we’re stepping into the kitchen of Chef Therese Harding, a long-time member of The Classic Catering People family (over a decade). Chef Therese loves using local, organic and sustainable foods in all of her cooking adventures. She also heads up the Owings Mills-based company’s “Cooking Camp Classic” each summer, where kids learn how to make recipes from scratch, such as Chicken Cacciatore Casserole. Cooking Camp Classic specializes in introducing children and teens to the food and cooking of different countries. The best part about it? You can send your child to one evening of camp — or a series. Totally works with your summer vacation schedule. Check out this video if you’re interested and look for more info on the The Classic Catering People website.

Looking forward to trying this recipe myself!

Chicken Cacciatore Casserole

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs Boneless skinless chicken, cut in 2×2 inch pieces,
Use breasts or thighs
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Green or Red Pepper, diced
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1/2 Diced sweet onion
15oz can Tomato Sauce
14oz can Diced Tomatoes
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1/4 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs, preferably Panko
12oz Cavatappi or Linguini Cooked
1/2 Cup Pasta cooking water

Directions:
Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Add chicken and cook 4 minutes until brown, turning to cook all sides. Remove from skillet.

Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil to pan, sauté onions, garlic, and pepper for 6 minutes. Add tomatoes, sauce and seasonings, stir to mix.

In a large bowl, add chicken to the cooked pasta with the above sauce; toss together. If dry, add the reserved cooking water. Spray an 8x8x2 baking dish, and add the chicken mixture.

In a small bowl mix the cheeses and bread crumbs. Sprinkle over the chicken mixture.

Bake at 350F until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Butter Lettuce with Gremolata Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
Dressing
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
3 Tbsp Finely chopped, toasted pine nuts or hazel nuts
3 Tbsp Shredded parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp Finely chopped, flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
To Taste Fresh ground pepper

Salad
1 Head Butter Lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
1/2 Pint Grape Tomatoes, washed
1/2 Cucumber, peel & seed if desired, cut in 1/2 inch dice

Directions:
Mix together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl; Refrigerate in an airtight container.

Gently toss the dressing with the salad and serve immediately.

Image provided by The Classic Catering People

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Author Description

heather

Heather is editor-in-chief of (cool) progeny. When not scouting the best in everything kid and family, you'll probably find her running The Weisse Group or adventuring around town with her daughter (the Bug) and husband. Can be won over with a good glass of wine or something homemade. Addicted to Pinterest. Only pretends to know what she's doing with her SLR, even though she's got a fantastic lens on it. Thankful it does most of the work for her.