Ingredients
- Gratinata Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic [1 tsp garlic powder]
- 1/4 cup marsala wine [or any good white wine, heck or none at all, it was good when I made it without too]
- 2 cups heavy cream [I used 2 % milk]
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese from Block
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 1/8 tsp [pinch] dried thyme
- 1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked
- 12 large shrimp [or 1 lb], peeled and deveined
- 2 large, skinless chicken breast fillets [grilled or pan seared, and sliced thin]
- 1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) thick-sliced smoked prosciutto, chopped [*didn't use it, didn't miss it*]
- Topping
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoons paprika
Preparation
Step 1
1. Preheat grill to high, or pan on medium hi [#8].
2. Prepare gratinata sauce by melting 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Add garlic and sweat it for about 5 minutes. Be sure the garlic doesn't brown. [ I used garlic powder and skipped that step.]
Add the marsala wine and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients for the sauce and whisk well until smooth. Bring mixture to a simmer and keep it there for 10 minutes or until it's thick. Cover sauce and remove it from the heat.
3. Cook pasta following directions on the package (11 minutes in boiling water). You want the pasta tender, but not mushy (al dente). Strain pasta and set it aside.
4. Pound the thick end of your chicken breasts a bit with a kitchen mallet [side of hammer] to make them a uniform thickness. Rub chicken with olive oil, then sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper. Spear the shrimp on skewers (6 per skewer should work fine), then rub them with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. [ I didn't spear anything, just pan seared the chicken, but not the shrimp--with about 20 minutes of bake time the shrimp was WELL cooked even though raw when the dish first headed into the oven.]
5. Grill chicken for 5 minutes per side. Grill shrimp for 2 minutes per side. When chicken is done, slice each breast into strips. [I used a cast iron grill pan indoors for the chicken- 5 minutes per side on #8 worked good for me]
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Build greased 9X11 casserole dish starting with pasta then chicken [and prosciutto if using].
Here I covered with the raw shrimp and then poured all of the sauce over the top .
Sprinkle with 1 cup grated Parmesan and paprika.
Bake the dish, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Then broil for 2 or 3 minutes --WATCH IT during this phase, bake until cheese starts to brown slightly. Remove immediately, and serve with hot, crusty Italian bread and a side of broccoli or spinach.
Makes 4 or 5 servings.