Mmmm...

Ok, I haven't done a food post in quite a while, and I made a delicious chicken dish today that was divine! As you may have heard, I no longer eat carbs, so "comfort food" as I normally think of it is having to be adapted to fit my new diet. Pasta is out, potatoes are out, noodles are out, rice is out, and dessert is out. Sad, huh? But I'm getting thinner so it's ok :)

So today I decided to copy a recipe I saw Giada de Laurentiis making. Pretty much anything simmered in a tomato basil sauce qualifies as comfort food for me. I even sometimes eat the leftover tomato sauce like soup it's sooooooo good! I do miss bread... but that's ok! So here's the recipe:

3 Chicken breasts, butterflied & pounded thin
1 pkg thin sliced prosciutto (you can go with domestic, it's not the star of the dish)
6 slices havarti cheese
1/2 cup fresh spinach
1 large can San Marzano tomatoes (worth the extra money!)
3 cloves garlic
fresh basil
olive oil

Ok, take your chicken and layer the ham, cheese, and spinach leaves evenly then roll the chicken up and secure with toothpicks. Lightly coat the bottom of a large pan or pot with olive oil. Sear the chicken rolls in the oil, remove from the pot. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and basil. (a pinch of baking soda if the sauce tastes too acidic) Bring the sauce to a boil, replace the chicken in the pan, making sure the sauce coats it. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken and let it rest for a few minutes, slice and serve with the sauce. If the sauce seems thin you can cook it down or add some tomato paste. You don't really need a lot of salt in this recipe because of the ham and cheese.

I had this with a large bowl of romaine dressed with olive oil and vinegar and some marinated artichokes. End the meal with a piece of fruit and you've got an Italian masterpiece, minus the pasta (Italian grandmas are rolling in their graves). I found it delightfully comforting and delicious. I hope you do, too! Buon appetito!