Lemon Chicken with Fresh Spinach

They say you shouldn’t grocery shop when you are hungry. I shouldn’t write posts when I am hungry because looking at these chicken photos is killing me right now. This chicken is fantastic and it is extremely easy. I love chicken which is flattened within a millimeter of looking like pink Saran Wrap because it cooks up in about 2 minutes per side…which means you can actually eat in about 20 minutes if the stars are aligned and someone helps set the table and fill glasses. And because all of the beating has a tenderizing effect on the chicken, and the cooking time is so fast, you don’t even have to use the world’s finest birds to end up with a great meal. For the record, I got this poultry at CostCo in a big giant vacuum packed sheet. I threw some in the fridge and some in the freezer. This was from the freezer batch and I thought it was quite good.

This is from a recipe that I found in Martha Stewart magazine. Big surprise, I know. She calls this preparation of chicken breasts, “paillards” but is kind enough to allow that we regular folk may also just refer to paillards as “flattened meat”. And since saying paillard makes me feel a little stupid, I’m going to go with flattened meat. To flatten your chicken in this manner you need to take a regular boneless skinless chicken breast and cut it in half in the manner of a hamburger bun. Find a nice fat edge and using a very sharp knife, merely begin a lateral slice. Once you have started you can kind of hold on to the top flap as you cut through and it helps separate and lift as you cut which also minimizes the likelihood of you slicing through your hand with a chicken-y knife which just grosses me out to think about.
Then get a re-sealable bag. One at a time, put a piece of chicken in and whack it with a meat mallet (or a rolling pin…or a big rock…whatever). Just make sure your mallet is flat as you strike the chicken so you flatten and spread the meat, not bang holes though it. You are being not gentle at all and careful all at the same time, yes?
Once you have your chicken ready…this moves very fast.
4 chicken breast (halved again and flattened)
Salt and Pepper
One shallot
2 lemons
¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
Unsalted butter
Olive Oil
A pinch of parsley (ooh, or tarragon would be nice)
Baby Spinach, about 2 cups per serving
First, do your prep work so that you have everything ready to go. Flatten the chicken. Season it with salt and pepper. Finely chop the shallot. And  peel and segment the lemons. For the lemons, use one of those flexible cutting mats if you have one so you don’t lose all the juice as you segment. Cut the end off of the lemon so it will stand up. Cut the skin off the lemon using a sharp paring knife and then cut out segments of lemon between the membranes. This is a pain and very few end up whole at the end of the process so just get after it, cut as many decent chunks out as you can…get out the seeds and save the juice by pouring it from the mat to the bowl if you are able. Then, put the remains of the lemons in a squeezer and squeeze out the remaining juice. Put the segments and juice in a small bowl.
In a hot skillet, melt about 1 tablespoon of butter and mix it with one tablespoon of olive oil. You will add butter and olive oil as you cook, as needed, so don’t worry too much about the precision of the amounts. Once the butter foams, add two of the pieces of chicken. If you are using a nonstick skillet, you will notice that at first the chicken is STUCK. That is normal. Don’t try to move it or pry it up or you will end up tearing up your chicken. If your skillet is nice and hot, when the chicken has developed a nice sear it will become un-stuck and you will be able to flip it with minimal prying. This will take about 2 minutes per side. As the chicken is cooked, remove it to a plate tented with foil and move on to the next two pieces, adding butter and olive oil as necessary.
When all of the chicken is cooked, add the shallots to the now empty skillet. All of the wonderful brown fond on the bottom of the skillet will begin to release as you sauté. After about one minute, add the lemons, lemon juice, the broth, and any juices which have accumulated on the chicken plate. Bubbling will ensue. You want to let it bubble and reduce by about half. Then, add about 1 tablespoon of cold unsalted butter to the skillet, which gives the sauce a wonderful and velvety finish. Season with a little chopped parsley (dried is fine). Add the chicken back to the skillet and turn the pieces over a few times in the sauce.
Place a nice pile of spinach on each serving plate. Then place a portion of chicken on top of the spinach. Then evenly distribute the pan sauce over the chicken servings. Head to the table. The spinach will wilt just slightly by the time you start eating. It is really really good stuff.
The amount of yammering I’ve done here might lead you to believe this is complicated or takes a long time. But it isn’t and it doesn’t. It is quick and it is fresh. But you do want to be ready to head for the table by the time you get the food on the plates, so about the time you have the chicken out of the skillet and are about to start the sauce…it is time to get some back up on glass filling and table setting. The spinach is really all you need for a vegetable with this. But I would highly recommend making some crusty, hot, homemade bread to go with it. You will not leave a drop of this sauce on the plate.
This will serve 4 adults, with each person getting 2 finished pieces of chicken…which is really one piece of chicken…which is really a half of a breast…if anyone is doing the silly math. Did you know that? One breast of a chicken is really two pieces of meat…on chickens a breast is considered a unit whereas (generally) on people they are each appreciated on their own as a distinct and wonderful singular breast. Poor chickens. So when you ask your butcher for a chicken breast and he gives you two pieces of meat…this is why.

Neiman’s Chicken Tetrazzini

This version of the recipe which dates back to the early 1900’s and a bold opera singer named Luisa Tetrazzini is from the Neiman Marcus Taste cookbook by Kevin Garvin and John Harrisson. I changed a few things here and there but their recipe is brilliant. I’ll list the ingredients as they have them and just let you know where I made substitutions.
You will need a 9 x 13 casserole dish, a large skillet, a stockpot, and two small saucepans for making the Veloute. A word on Veloute, first. A while back when I found myself curiously lacking a can of Cream of Whatever soup (yes, I do use them occasionally…and there are certain dishes that just aren’t right without them…get over yourself already) I set about recreating the Campbell’s magic with the ingredients I had on hand. In a small saucepan, I melted some butter, stirred in some flour to make a roux, added a can of chicken broth and then added some milk. I brought it to a simmer and POOF in four minutes I had a really delicious alternative to the can. Now, imagine my surprise when I looked in the Neiman Marcus cookbook and found that had I only chosen the evil and beautiful Heavy Cream instead of milk, I could have called it Veloute and been all French-and-Fancy. It is worth making this on its own just to see what it is. It is so simple and delicious that you will have a hard time saving it for the recipe and you will instantly start thinking of all sorts of neat ways you are going to use it next. Add cheese and it is a velvety cheese sauce, serve it as a base sauce with any pasta dish, go crazy.
On another note, do yourself a favor and spend some money on your chicken. I get my chicken at Kuby’s here in Dallas, which is a German Deli and Grocery here in town and they choose natural  and exceptionally good birds. I cook them with the skin on and then remove the skin. The difference in my dishes when I take the trouble to get my chicken (and meat) there instead of at my local chain grocery stores is staggering. I am better off buying and freezing my chicken from Kuby’s than buying it “fresh” at the grocery store. I am a huge fan of finding the best deal, but working all afternoon on a dish that turns out mediocre due to mediocre poultry is not a cost effective use of my (or your) time.

So, the first thing you need to do is make the Veloute.
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
¼ cup heavy cream
Salt to taste
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat and add the flour, and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Meanwhile in another small saucepan and heat the broth to a boil. Add the cream to the broth and bring to a simmer. While whisking the broth mixture, add the flour mixture into the broth working to eliminate any clumps. Bring to a simmer and cook for four additional minutes. Pour this through a wire mesh strainer and season with salt.
OK, now onto the main recipe.
2 Tablespoon olive oil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt & Pepper
1 pound linguini
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
¼ dry white wine (I used chicken broth)
2 cups warm Veloute
2 cups heavy cream
1½ parmesan cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoon fresh parsley (I skipped this)
1 Tablespoon fresh tarragon (I used dried)
½ cup sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter your casserole dish. (I used cooking spray).
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook in a pan over medium high heat to which you have added the olive oil. Cook until they are slightly under-done because they will cook for about 15 minutes more once the casserole is assembled. Remove them to a plate to rest. Keep the skillet handy and do not clean it.
Bring a stock pot of water to a boil and cook the linguini until al dente.  Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water. Set this aside.
Meanwhile add a tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet in which the chicken was cooked. Add the garlic and mushrooms and sauté for 3 or so minutes.  Add the white wine or chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Make sure you scrape up all of the delicious brown bits. Reduce the liquid by half.
Add the Veloute and cook for two minutes while stirring continually. Add the cream and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add a cup of the parmesan and mix it in. Pour this cream mixture into the large stock pot and add the linguini back in. This requires some dedicated mixing to distribute the mushrooms and the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to the casserole dish. (At this point I covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for several hours…just make sure to let it come to room temp a bit before cooking it later if you do this). Cut the cooked chicken into thin slices and pile it on top of the casserole. Sprinkle it with the remaining cheese and sliced almonds. Bake for 15 minutes. (if you are taking it from the fridge it will take longer in which case you might wait to add the chicken until the last 10 or 15 minutes so it does not overcook.
Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Artichoke and Mushroom Pasta

Pasta…cream…artichokes…mushrooms…need I say more? Are you with me? This is very easy and very delicious. It is a simple recipe with a result that is as good as most pasta dishes in most restaurants.
This recipe is adapted from a recipe in one of my all time favorite cookbooks. Junior League Cookbooks get no better than this one. I really think this book is a high water mark for the genre. Every single recipe in it sounds wonderful and everything I have made from it has been great. If you do not own a copy of Stop and Smell the Rosemary, you should. It is also a lovely book, too. That is always nice.
Onward…you deserve a short post every now and again.

Preparation:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 can artichoke hearts, drained thoroughly and chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
12 ounces of pasta, cooked al dente…campanelle, penne, or any other nice looking pasta will do.
½ cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
A small handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
In a large skillet (not non-stick), heat the butter until melted. Add the minced onions and garlic and sauté until softened. Add the mushrooms and sauté for an additional five minutes. Add the artichokes and continue to cook until the artichokes are thoroughly heated. Remove the vegetables to a large bowl.
In the same skillet, add the cream and cook on medium heat until the cream is reduced by half. Meanwhile cook the pasta in salted, boiling water until it is cooked to the tenderness that you prefer.
When the cream is reduced, add the vegetables back in and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add the pasta, half of the cheese, and half of the parsley. Stir until the pasta is well coated. Serve adorned with the remaining cheese and parsley.
The original recipe adds capers to the mix…but I’m not a fan of capers. But you might be, so by all means…go for it. I just like a big pile of fresh parmesan with it.
Enjoy!

صاج الحلوم + مرتديلا بالجبن

المقادير
حسب عدد الأشخاص


خبز صاج جاهز من الجمعية او من صنع ايدج بالبيت
مرتديلا ( سادة او بالزيتون )
جبن سلايسز او موزاريلا

جزر مبشور ( حسب الرغبة ) + مايونيييز

شرايح طماطم
شرايح حلوم
زعتر + شوية زيت زيتون ( ما أنصح انك تضيفين الزيت لأنه ينقع الخبزة بالشواية )




هذا الصاج





انا شوحت المرتديلا شوية بالشواية



احبه مستوي مو طري


ولو تشوحين الحلوم بعد بالمقلاة بس بدون زيت يطلع روعة بس انا كنت مستعجلة


طريقة اللف :

- فرشي الخبزة وحطي الحشوة من بداية الخبزة فوق ووزعيها عدل
عشان تلفينها عدل وبالتحميش ما تتشقق ولا تنقع من الحلوم


( الحلوم بعدين طماط بعدين الزعتر
وسفطيها من الجنب الأيمن والأيسر
بعدي لفيها مثل الرول بس لا تضغطينها وايد
خليها شويه عريضة

وحطيها بالشواية لما يسيح الجبن وتتحمش كثر ما تبين










المرتديلا نفس الطريقة

مرتديلا
بعدين طماط
انا ضفت شوية جزر بس نسيت اخلطه مع شوية مايونيز يطلع احلى
بعدين الجبن السلايسز
ولفيها بنفس الطريقة مع الحلوم

ودخليها الشواية تتحمش


احلى عشاء سريع
وممكن تنوعين بالحشوات على كييييييييييفك

مثل حمسة بطاط
فلافل + لبنة
نقانق بالجبن
اجبان منوعة مع بعض



وهذه النتيجة





بس انا استعجلت وقطعته وهو حار

نصيحة خليه يبرد وقصيه بالنص

جباب

الطريقه عمل جباب





المقادير :

2 ونص كوب ماء

2كوب طحين رقم 1

بيضتين

زعفران وهيل ورشة فانيليا

ملقعه صغيره خميرة فوريه

فنيال سكر

فنيال حليب بودرة


نخلط المقادير و " نتركها تتخمر ساعة "



وهاي طريقة التحضير مصوره ..~







وهذا شكله بعد ما حطيت الجبن والعسل ^_^




المقادير :

2 ونص كوب ماء

2كوب طحين رقم 1

بيضتين

زعفران وهيل ورشة فانيليا

ملقعه صغيره خميرة فوريه

فنيال سكر

فنيال حليب بودرة


نخلط المقادير و " نتركها تتخمر ساعة "



وهاي طريقة التحضير مصوره ..~







وهذا شكله بعد ما حطيت الجبن والعسل ^_^

Spiced Apple, Red Wine, and Cranberry Turnovers

I love the smell of baked apples and spices this time of year. Making these turnovers was an excuse to fill the kitchen with nostalgic, seasonal smells. And to eat crispy, flaky turnovers.
This year, hand pies are all the rage and cake is a thing of the past. I couldn’t be happier about this as I am a fool for pie. Fruit and spices baked into crust- yes, please!
When brainstorming this recipe, I considered using premade pie crust, but opted to go with phyllo dough for more of a turnover, rather than a hand pie. The phyllo is light and flaky and not at all greasy, so you can eat these turnovers without all the mess. Another nice aspect of phyllo dough, is that it’s typically made with vegan ingredients which gives you the option of making these turnovers as a vegan dessert. Simply sub in vegan butter spread where butter is used.  You could also add pecans, walnuts, or pine nuts for more bulk, texture and flavor.
I could see these being a great option for a holiday party, something all the guests could enjoy. 
Ingredients: (makes about a dozen turnovers)
2 baking apples peeled, cored, and chopped (I used one sweet and one tart)
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
zest of one orange (about 1 Tablespoon)
1/2 cup red wine
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 package of phyllo dough (I used The Fillo Factory vegan dough found at Whole Foods)
Directions: Mix the fruit, wine, orange zest, and spices in a bowl.  Set aside while you prepare the phyllo dough, allowing the mixture to marinate.

Phyllo is paper thin and delicate to work with. Bring it to room temperature prior to handling.

Lay the dough vertically. Set out 2 sheets and brush lightly with melted butter (or vegan butter). Then, place another 2 sheets on top and, again, brush with butter. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into thirds.

Spoon a heaping portion of the fruit mixture onto the bottom portion of each section of dough.

Fold the dough (starting at the fruit end) just like you’d fold an American flag.

You should have a triangle shape, like so.
 
Place the turnovers on a baking sheet and brush the tops with butter.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Unless you plan to eat them right away, allow the turnovers to cool before removing them from the baking sheet.

Cooling the turnovers ensures they won’t get soggy. Plate them like so.

I love biting through the crispy phyllo to the warm, tender fruit inside. Heaven.

These are sweet enough for dessert, but I am a big fan of eating them for breakfast.

They’re also great hot or cold and won’t last long!