Chicken Piccata

It's been a cold, rain-soaked October day, which would be perfect for a warm bowl of stew and a hot toddy.  But after a day full of library book sales and the Crafty Bastards fair, I came home tired, cold and very hungry.  For dinner I needed something quick and tasty… and something that would also go well with a fresh bunch of arugula and a divine heirloom tomato, both purchased from my trip to the farmers market this morning.  

And thus came Ina Garten from her stately Hamptons stead and delivered unto us: Chicken Piccata!

 

Chicken Piccata, recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

• 5-6 chicken thighs (I like dark meat, but you can use chicken breasts instead)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
• Juice squeezed from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Use three shallow baking dishes for breading the chicken.  In one dish, add the flour.  Egg in the next. And in the last, mix together the breadcrumbs and corn meal.

Place the chicken between two sheets of parchment paper and using a meat mallet, flatten to 1/4 inch thick. 

Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Dip the chicken in flour and shake off the excess.

Dip into the egg, coating the chicken evenly.

Dip the chicken into the breadcrumb and corn meal mixture fully coating the chicken.

Heat the oil and a half tablespoon of butter in a large saute pan over medium to medium low heat.

When the oil is hot and the butter is bubbly, add the chicken.  

Cook for about 3 minutes per side.  The outer coating should be golden brown and crispy.  Like this!

When the chicken is done, put it on a clean plate and keep warm in the oven.

Next prepare the sauce!

Add two more tablespoons of butter to the pan and melt over medium heat.  

 

When the butter is nice and foamy, add in the lemon juice.  

After a minute or two, add in the chicken broth.  White wine can also be used in place of chicken broth.

Bring the sauce to a boil, lower heat and reduce the liquid by half.  

Getting saucy!

When the sauce is reduced, turn off heat and stir in the additional tablespoon of butter.  When the butter has melted into the sauce, serve immediately over the chicken.

Enjoy!

Steakhouse Pasta

I love The Pioneer Woman.  Not only does she manage to be witty, warm and genuine, but her food is nearly always flawlessly wonderful.  It looks good, it tastes good, most of it is stuff I have or can easily find, and she provides great step-by-step instructions.  I'm fairly certain that her blog post on "How to Cook a Steak" is at least 50% of the reason why I am married today.  So when I stumbled upon her "Steakhouse Pizza" post the other day, I pined for it.  I am talking serious pining.  Steak AND Pizza?  How could it get any better?!  Drooling may also have been involved. Drooling… Pining.  Same thing.

After fantasizing about the steakhouse pizza nearly all day yesterday, I decided to pick up the necessary ingredients after work.  And then on the train ride home, I remembered that our oven had gone out the night before.  Crap on a stick!  

So instead of Steakhouse Pizza, we had Steakhouse Pasta.  It was still quite tasty and a great substitute for when you don't have an oven, and your grill is far too tiny for cooking a pizza. Stupid tiny grill!  Anyway… Thanks, PW, for some amazing inspiration.

Steakhouse Pasta

For the steak and onions:

• 1 flank or skirt steak
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 small yellow onion, sliced into thin strips
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

For the sauce:

• 1 jar Spaghetti sauce – I used Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Marinara, but when I have more time, I usually make my own
• 2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

For the pasta:

• 1/2 pound linguine
• 1-2 teaspoons salt

Toppings:

• Steak sauce
• Freshly grated or shaved parmesan - or whatever cheese you prefer as a topping.  I used a three-cheese blend of asiago, fontina, and parmesan.
• 1 tomato sliced thinly (optional)
• Basil leaves (optional)

Begin by caramelizing the onions.  To do this properly it takes about 35-45 minutes.  I use a recipe from Ina Garten for this… It's full proof and the flavor is amazing.  Every time.  

In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil together until the better is melted.  

Add the onions and thyme, tossing to coat with the butter and oil.  Cover the pan with a lid and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, sweating the onions.  

In the meantime, season the steak with salt and pepper and set aside.

Remove the lid and continue to cook for another 25-30 minutes, until the onions are caramelized and golden brown.  Stir occassionally and make sure the onions aren't sticking.  Also, if the onions are browing too quickly, reduce the heat.  You definitely want to cook low and slow and avoid burning the onions. 

In the last two minutes, add the red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar, scraping any bits from the pan, and season with salt and pepper.  

While the onions are cooking, start boiling the water for the pasta, adding a teaspoon or two of salt for seasoning.

In a large sauce pan, over medium-low heat, combine the marinara sauce, balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.  Cover.  Stir occassionally.  Reduce heat if necessary.

You can cook the steak in the same pan you used for the onions (setting the onions aside), or use a grill, or a grill pan and cook while the onions are starting to slow cook.  

Add another tablespoon each of butter and olive oil to the pan, melting together, and cook the flank steak over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes (for medium rare), flipping half-way through.  Set aside and let rest for ten minutes.

When the water is boiling, add the linguine and cook for about 7 minutes.  Add a cup of cold water to stop the cooking process.  Drain when ready to serve.

Slice the steak thinly, and if desired toss it back in the pan for another minute with the caramelized onions. 

 

To serve, top the linguine with pasta sauce, steak, caramelized onions, a little bit of steak sauce, the cheese, and maybe some fresh basil.  I also added some fresh tomatoes on the side, which was tasty.

Enjoy!  Even if it's not pizza… 

Heirloom Tomato Pesto

In honor of Meatless Monday, I decided to make tomato pesto with linguine for dinner.  And then I promptly added some andouille sausage for my husband.  Oh well, maybe next week.

The addition of andouille (this is what happens when your husband demands meat and you let him choose) wasn't as weird as it may sound.  The spicyness was a nice complement to the red pepper flakes in the pesto.  Topped with some fresh basil and parmesan it was actually rather good…  

Thanks to the America's Test Kitchen twitter account for the recipe inspiration… I only modified it a teensy bit.

Heirloom Tomato Pesto

• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted until golden brown and fragrant
• 2-3 large heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, packed
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled (roasted garlic would probably be even better if you have the time!)
• A splash of red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound pasta
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• Optional: 1/2 pound andouille sausage, sliced or crumbled, cooked separately and added as a topping

Start the water to boil for the pasta.

In a food processor or blender, combine the almonds, tomatoes, basil and garlic for about 30 seconds.

Ready to be pesto-fied!

Add a splash of red wine vinegar (no more than 1/2 teaspoon), the red pepper flakes and salt. Continue to blend for another 30 seconds.

With the processor or blender running, slowly pour the olive oil into the mixture.  Blend for another 30 seconds or until the oil is incorporated.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente.  Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, draining the rest.

Add the tomato pesto to the pasta and stir.  Add pasta water as needed to fully coat the pasta with the pesto mixture.  I only used maybe 1/4 cup of this.  

Stir in the parmesan.

Spoon into bowls and top with basil, grated parmesan, and optionally, the meat.

Enjoy!  Even if your Monday isn't meatless… 

Smoked Andouille, Summer Vegetables, Linguine and Cream Sauce

I'm really not sure what to call this dish, since it was essentially another edition of "make shit up for dinner" night.  But it must have been good because the husband ordained me "the sorceress of yummy yummies."  

On to the tasty parts… 

Smoked Andouille, Summer Vegetables, Linguine and Cream Sauce

• About 1 lb smoked andouille sausage, casings removed
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 medium carrot, chopped into small sticks
• 4-5  red, yellow and orange baby bell peppers, chopped
• 1 yellow tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup half-and-half (see, I'm trying not to kill you!)
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup blend of fontina, asiago, and parmesan cheeses (plus more for topping, optionally)
• 1 lb fresh linguine

Crumble the andouille and cook thoroughly in a deep sauce pan over medium-high heat.

Drain excess fat from the sausage.

Reduce heat to medium.  Add the zucchini, carrots and peppers and cook for 4-5 minutes.    

Meanwhile, bring water for the pasta to boil.

Add the tomato, heavy cream, half-and-half and white wine to the sausage and veggie mixture. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce begins to thicken slightly.

Note: Don't cook the hell out of this… The veggies should still be a bit crisp when everything is served.

When the water begins to boil, add the fresh linguine.  Cook for about 2 and a half to 3 minutes.  If using dried pasta, cook according to package directions.

Stir in 1/4 cup of the three cheese blend and allow to melt into the sauce.

Drain the pasta.  

Dish into bowls and top with sausage, veggies and sauce mixture, and optionally more cheese.  

Enjoy!  If you think your thighs are man enough to handle it! :)

 

Polenta.

About two or three years ago I read a Mark Bittman post in the New York Times about polenta for breakfast. The way he described it, like a buttery, creamy porridge improved only with a soft egg on top, it sounded like heaven…  Drooling, I decided my dinner for that night would be inspired by that article.  

Not knowing what the hell I was doing in the kitchen, I tried making the dish with cream of wheat, in the microwave no less, and I was stunningly disappointed by how disgusting it was.  Since that time, I have been a little gunshy about actually trying to make polenta, so I've stuck with the tubes that you can find in most grocery stores, which will do…… But little did I know what I was actually missing.

Tonight I decided to conquer my fears and try again.  This time with actual cornmeal.  And other than one minor splash burn, it was unbelievably easy to make.  No more polenta tubes for me! 

This simple side was a nice complement to baked chicken with squash, zucchini and cherry tomatoes.  Maybe next time I'll try it with an egg.  And some bacon.  Maybe some kale.

Polenta

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• Almost 2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt, if desired
• 2 Tbsp butter

Bring the chicken broth and water to a boil.  

Gradually whisk in the cornmeal, making sure to get out as many lumps as possible.

Reduce heat to low, and stir frequently, but not constantly, for 15 to 20 minutes or until thick and smooth.

Stir in butter and salt.  If you're waiting for other things to finish cooking, you can just chop the butter and place it on top of the polenta, then put the lid on the pan.  It will melt on its own and you can stir it in just before dishing it up.

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Bruschetta

I went to the farmers market this morning for the first time in quite a while… They had an abundance of lovely red, round, gorging tomatoes for $3.99 a pound.  I scooped up five of them and a fragant bundle of freshly picked basil.  I purchased a loaf of French country bread along with some other goodies (hello, sweet bread and butter pickles with peppers! the closest thing to Wickles I've found in the mid-Atlantic), and made my way home full of ideas for what to make.  

I settled on Bruschetta.  Lightly toasted bread, brushed with olive oil, topped with a salad of tomato, garlic and chopped basil.  It made for a light, but filling brunch.  And of course, I had a glass (or two) of Prosecco.  

A simple, lovely treat… A perfect way to start off a Saturday.

Bruschetta

• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, washed and chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 slices Italian or French country bread
• Olive oil
• Salt

Chop tomatoes, basil, garlic, and combine together with a pinch of salt in a small glass bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow the flavors to marinate together in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Thinly slice Italian or French country bread and lightly brush with olive oil.

Toast the bread in the oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly crisp.  

Remove to a plate and top with tomato salad.  

Enjoy!

Turkey Goulash

I've started a new workout regimen.  And after one day, it is already killing me.  It also comes with nutrition advice and a strict eating plan.  I'm not quite ready to embrace that just yet, so in the meantime, I'm trying to cook a bit healthier.  After all… Why go through all of the pain (and sweat) if you're just going to deep fry potato tacos?  

Mmm… deep fry!!!  *drools on keyboard*  

Erm… well.  Uh… I give you Turkey Goulash.  Delicious, simple, and not terribly unfriendly to the thighs.

Turkey Goulash

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 or 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
• Pinch of salt
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 small  can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• Bowtie pasta

In a large pot, start water to boil for the pasta.

In another large pot, cook ground turkey over medium-high heat until mostly cooked through.  

Add onion and garlic and continue cooking until all of the pink is gone and the onion starts turning translucent.  

Add the oregano, basil, parsley, onion powder.  Mix in thoroughly and cook for another minute or so.

Add a dash or two of worcestershire sauce and a pinch of salt.

Stir in the diced tomatoes (I can't wait for fresh tomatoes!) and tomato sauce.  

Reduce heat to low or medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is done cooking. Oh yeah… you should probably add the pasta when the water begins to boil and cook according to package directions (most likely about 10 minutes).

When pasta is done cooking, drain the water and gently combine the pasta into the sauce mixture. 

Serve with a side salad.

Enjoy!  Your thighs will thank you later… 

Pasta Bolognese

My sister-in-law, Sharon, gave me the Barefoot Contessa's latest cookbook, How Easy Is That? for Christmas this past year.  While I don't fully agree with its title… it is full of yummy delights.  One of which is Ina Garten's Weeknight Bolognese recipe.  And now my new go-to meat sauce…  

Weeknight Bolognese

• 1 or 2 Tbps olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef (lean, turkey, pork, italian sausage… whatever pleases your tastebuds)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (this is not in the recipe, but I like it anyway)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 cup dry red wine (start with one cup, the quarter goes into finishing the sauce)
• 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes (that's one 28 oz can, not a 128 oz can…)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound dried pasta – orecchiette, shells or spaghetti (really, you can use however much you like and if there is sauce left over, store it in a mason jar and re-heat later)
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil (fresh really does taste much better than dried in this case, especially since it goes into finishing the sauce)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
  
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Over medium high heat, heat 1 or 2 Tbsp olive oil.  

Add the ground beef and cook until brown and crumbly. Drain off grease.  

Side note: The original recipe doesn't call for draining this off, but I think it's too greasy otherwise.  This is also why I like using ground turkey, because you really don't have to mess with the draining step… Two lines in and I'm already off on a tangent…

Mix in the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent.  

Stir in the oregano and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for another minute.  

Pour in 1 cup of the dry red wine, scraping up any brown bits from the pan.  Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt and pepper.  (Ina recommends 1 Tbsp of salt, but oh my god, why doesn't she just put a knife in my heart and kill me faster!?!?  Er… Um.. I mean, I prefer a less salty taste, especially if you use salt when cooking the pasta.)  

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to boil for cooking the pasta.  Add a little salt, a splash of olive oil and pasta.  Cook according to package directions.

As the pasta cooks, you can finish the sauce.  Add the nutmeg, basil, cream and remaining 1/4 cup of wine.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 8-10 minutes to let the sauce thicken.  

Side note: I really don't think the sauce *needs* the cream, so you can skip this if you feel the need to go easy on the heart and thighs… For that matter, it doesn't really need the 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese either.  A little on the top at the end will suffice.  However, you can add a teaspoon of sugar to cut the acid if you skip the cream.

When the pasta is finished, drain the water and turn the heat off the sauce.  

Off heat, stir the parmesan cheese into the sauce.   

To serve, put some pasta in a bowl, top with sauce, some fresh parmesan and some fresh basil if you feel like it and have any left over.  

Store any leftover sauce in a mason jar and refrigerate.  You can easily reheat this in a small sauce pan.  Pour in a splash of wine or cream to help it out… 

Enjoy!

Spicy Shrimp and Pasta Aglio e Olio

I'm freshly returned from an extra-long girls weekend in New Orleans and Ocean Springs, Mississippi.  (Food memories coming soon!)   The beach was lovely, and with the help of three lovely women and a crap-ton of wine I came back home fully relaxed.  

We consumed our fair share of seafood and Oh My, Nola it was so fresh and wonderful!  

At a fish market in Mississippi buying shrimps and mud-bugs.

Check out the ginormous Grouper!

Anyway… I love shrimp, I love spicy, and as my thighs will attest, I loves me some pasta.  And in my desperate attempt to cling to the warm memories of the beachy good time, I give you tonight's dinner:

Roasted Cajun Shrimp and Asparagus with Spicy Pasta Aglio e Olio

For the pasta:

• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1/2 pound spaghetti
• 4-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 Tbsp butter
• ~1 cup reserved pasta water (or chicken broth if you screw up and forget)
• Optional variation: Add fresh basil, parsley and Parmesan cheese into the pasta at the end.

Start the water to boil in a large pot with 1 Tbsp salt.  When the water is boiling add the pasta.  (In the meantime, pop the asparagus in the oven).

Thinly slice the garlic (and chop basil and parsley if using).

When the pasta is done set aside about 1 cup of the water.  Try not to be a dumb-ass and forget like I do sometimes… If you do forget, you can use some chicken broth.  But it won't be as good.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large sauce pan (big enough to hold the spaghetti at the end) over medium heat.  Saute the garlic for a couple of minutes.  

When the garlic is *just* starting to turn goldeny, add the crushed red pepper flakes.  Add more or less depending on how spicy you like it.  Saute for about 30 seconds or so.  

Add the reserved pasta water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by about 1/3 or so.  (In the meantime, start roasting the shrimp!)

Add the pasta into the sauce and toss to coat.  Turn off the heat and optionally add the basil, parsley and parmesan.  I usually make it this way if I just want to eat the pasta by itself, and honestly, it doesn't need the cheese.  I know, I know… I'm a shameful disappoint to the world of fromagerie.

For the roasted shrimp and asparagus:

• 1 pound of raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• Cajun rub:
  • 1 tsp Oregano
  • 1/2 tsp Onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic salt
  • 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
  • 1 tsp Parsley
  • A smidge of freshly ground black pepper
• Asparagus
• More cajun seasoning
• Olive oil
• 1 lemon quartered

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. (Anyone wanna teach me some scientific html?)

Mix together the ingredients for the rub in a 1-gallon ziploc bag… Honestly, just use however much you want and whatever you want. We're just playing around here.  

After cleaning the shrimp toss it in the bag, seal and toss the shrimp to coat with the rub.  Put it back in the refrigerator.

Rinse the asparagus and pat dry with a paper towel. Snap off the ends.

Toss the asparagus with olive oil on a sheet pan, and lightly dust with some cajun seasoning.  Roast the asparagus for 10-15 minutes.  

Add the shrimp to the baking sheet and roast for another 5 or 6 minutes, until the shrimp is slightly pink and no longer transparent.

Serve the shrimp and asparagus over the pasta and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Pasta recipe slightly adapted from Ina Garten's How Easy is That?