Sambuca Sassy Sauce + some very Tasty Shrooms!

Tonight (Yes, I am currently up-to-date with my blogging), I decided to make herb crusted-baked chicken breasts with mushrooms and a TASTY Sambuca sauce.  The other night Marty and our friend Ashlee ordered an appetizer at Benvenuti's that consisted of mussels served over a delicious bed of Sambuca sauce.  It was TO DIE FOR, so I decided to try and make that sauce this evening!  It surprisingly turned out to be one of the best dipping sauces ever and the left overs are in the fridge waiting to be eaten with linguini tomorrow night!

[for those of you who don't know what Sambuca is, it is an Italian liqueur that has an anise based flavor (Jager is in the same familia)]

Sambuca!

I had to mince lots and lots of garlic for both dishes!

Shredded fresh basil.

Fresh flat leaf parsley, basil, rosemary and S&P for the breading mixture.

Add the breadcrumbs.

These happened to be huge cremini mushrooms, so I had to quarter them.

Squeezing fresh lemon juice for the chicken and mushrooms.

Chicken breasts marinating in lemon juice.

Garlic sauteing away in olive oil- giving an amazing garlic-y base to the sambuca sauce.

Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, sugar and S&P!

Add the sambuca goodness!

Garlic, capers, veggie oil and S&P waiting for the shrooms.

Mushrooms+butter=goodness.

Brushing on melted butter.

Breaded.

Dipping bread into heaven. 

Add lemon juice and fresh flat leaf parsley to the baked mushrooms. Delish!

Mushroom "Piccata":

- about 1 pound of mushrooms (I used cremini)

- about 2 TBSP frseh parsley, chopped

- about 2 TBSP capers

- 3 garlic cloves, chopped

- about 3 TBSP oil

- 3 TBSP unsalted butter, cubed

- about 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice

- S&P

Preheat oven to 450. 

In a shallow baking dish, combine the garlic, capers, oil and S&P (be careful with the salt because of the capers :)  Add the mushrooms and mix together.  Place the little cubes of butter on top of the mushrooms.  Bake for about 15 minutes.  Pour over the lemon juice and the parsley to serve.

Enjoy!

Sassy Sambuca Sauce:

- 1/4 C Sambuca

- 1 can tomato sauce

- 1 can diced tomatoes

- about 1 TBSP red pepper flakes (if you don't like spicy, add less)

- about 1/4 C red wine (I used a Pinot Noir)

- 2-3 TBSP fresh basil, sliced

- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

- 1/4 C olive oil

- 1 tsp sugar

- S&P to taste

In a medium sized sauce pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium.  Once warm, add the garlic and stir.  Cook until the garlic starts to slightly turn golden (don't burn the garlic!).  Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, sugar and S&P.  Stir to combine.  Cook the tomatoes for a few minutes.  Add the Sambuca and wine and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the basil and stir.  I prefer the sauce to cook for awhile on low heat to absorb all of the flavors while seasoning with salt and pepper to my liking.

Enjoy!