Recipes by Florence Henderson: Chicken Cacciatore; Marinara Sauce

Florence Henderson's Chicken Cacciatore

3 1/2 pounds cleaned broiling chicken, cut in pieces
Seasoned flour
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons chopped carrot
1 small clove garlic, pressed
Handful chopped fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
About 1 teaspoon salt
Freshly round pepper to taste
Marinara sauce (prepared by recipe given below)
1/2 cup Marsala (or dry white) wine

Shake chicken pieces in flour in paper bag. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Brown chicken on all sides; remove. Brown onion, carrot, garlic and parsley in skillet until vegetables are soft. Return chicken to skillet with bay leaves, salt, pepper, marinara sauce (enough to cover chicken pieces) and Marsala (or white) wine. Cook gently until chicken is tender (about 30 minutes). Serves 4.

Florence Henderson's Marinara Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
1 small clove garlic (or 1/8 tsp. garlic powder)
1 small onion, chopped
1 can Italian tomato paste
1 can Italian plum tomatoes, strained and chopped
1 bay leaf
Squeeze lemon juice
3/4 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. light brown sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in large skillet or saucepan. Cook minced garlic and onion until transparent in heated oil. Add tomato paste, plum tomatoes, bay leaf, lemon juice, oregano, brown sugar and seasonings to taste. Simmer slowly uncovered about 1 1/2 hours (or until thick); stir often to prevent burning. Correct seasonings.

To serve with:

Spaghetti and shrimp: Cook 2/3 pound cleaned, raw shrimp (chop, if large) with 1 cup dry white wine and a handful chopped parsley until they begin to turn pink. Drain immediately. Meanwhile, cook 1 pound spaghetti (or linguini) in boiling salted water until al dente; drain. Add shrimp, top with liberal amounts of heated marinara sauce and garnish with a generous snipping of fresh parsley. Serves 4.

Filet of sole (or flounder): Salt and pepper 1 1/2 pounds filet of sole (or flounder). Arrange filets in well greased baking dish. Squeeze few drops of lemon over fish; spoon marinara sauce over filets, covering well. Cover; bake in preheated 375 degree oven about 25 minutes (or until fish is fork tender). Garnish with fresh parsley. Serves 4.