Chickens Capering To-and-Fro - Chicken Piccata

Spring has sprung, though the rain has begun.  That means that it's time for a springy type recipe.  I can think of nothing quite so bright and sunny as the flavor of lemon mixed with the pungent green bite of capers.  So, I chose to make Piccata sauce.  It's one of the pan sauces I go cuckoo for.

Piccata, in it's simplest form, is a Lemon, Wine, Butter and Parsley pan sauce, usually served over Veal Scallopini (thinly sliced veal that has been dredged in flour and fried in butter).  The beauty of this simple sauce is the innumerable permutations it can take in the hands of any given cook at any given time.  No pigeonholing allowed.  My mom, for example, always adds 1 tsp of Honey and skips the wine.  I add Capers and the Lemon Zest to mine and use the Parsley for a garnish at the end. You can substitute Chicken Stock for the Wine, if you like.  You can replace the Lemon with Blood Orange, Ruby Grapefruit or Lime, if so inclined.  You can even chose Duck, Pork or Lamb, instead of the Veal.  It really just depends on what blows your hair back, floats your boat, turns your crank or what drum beat your are dancing to at the moment you are making it.  Sometimes I like to play it a little Loosey Goosey.

This has become evident in the popularity of "Chicken Piccata" vs the original Veal version.  While I personally do not quail at the thought of consuming Veal (no grousing), especially with the new laws regarding crating, I still find that the chicken variation is my favorite.  Someday, I would like to try this with duck and orange though; sort of a twist on Duck al'Orange.

The most difficult part of this dish is the "scalloping" or "butterflying' and pounding of the chicken breasts.  The pieces need to be fairly thin, so they cook quickly; which is the whole point of this particular dish.  In all honesty, if I had planned better, I would have purchased either Chicken "Tenders" or Chicken "Cutlets", then the hard part would have already been done for me.  (I am getting lazy)  LOL

Chicken Piccata

3-4 Chicken Breasts, about 24 oz (or Tenders or Cutlets)
4 TB AP Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground
1/4 tsp Sweet Paprika
2 TB Olive Oil
3 TB Unsalted Butter
1/3 cup Dry White Wine
1/3 cup Lemon Juice
Zest of 1/2 Lemon
2 TB Capers, drained
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
thin slices of lemon for garnish

“Scallop”, Butterfly or pound the chicken to between 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick. (I usually do a little butterfly-ing followed by a little pounding, cause one end of the breast is always thicker.)

Mix Flour with Salt, Pepper and Paprika.

Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.

Heat the Olive Oil and Butter in heavy skillet or sauté pan.

Brown quickly on both sides giving the chicken sufficient time to cook meat thru.(about 2 minutes per side)

Move to a warm platter, garnish with lemon slices and tent to keep warm.

Pour off all but 2 TB of the fat.

Add wine and lemon juice to deglaze the pan.

Heat to a boil while scraping the bottom of the pan to release the fond.

When reduced by half add the lemon zest; stir to combine.

Add capers and stir.

There is your pan sauce.

Pour piccata sauce over chicken.

Serve immediately, with a smattering of freshly chopped Parsley, if desired.

MMMMMMMMMMMMM!! I'm happy as a Lark.

Mangia!!
~~

The Great Snail Caper - Lumaconi con Cipolle Caramellate

It's been awhile since I have posted anything.... Partially due to being sick, but mostly because I have been so far behind on "stuff", that I have been playing catch up. Things like my poor neglected GT Cruiser which now has new Shocks and Struts (yeah, that was a pain in the butt), new Rotors and Ceramic pads as well as, FINALLY, a bumper and grille that are all in one piece.

The whole front end has been a mass of zip ties and prayers since some "stoopid head" in Torrence, CA backed into my poor little parked Cruiser and then took off like a bat out of hell, before I could get his/her license number. And, of course, my "full" coverage wasn't as "full" as it should have been, at least not in California... So I did it myself along with a little help from eBay and a very talented auto painter that my brother knows. So, now my "Trash" mobile, doesn't look so trashy anymore. (it still needs new fog lights, because the housings were broken, but I am still waiting on the parts; again, off ebay) LOL

Then there was the B-52's concert (which was completely, totally and utterly AWESOME!) and my cousin's wedding reception in Husum, WA... So I have been a little busy and not really eating all that well over the last couple weeks; which was probably part of how I got sick to begin with. But I am taking my diet back into my own hands. So without further babbling, here is "yet another" of my favorite Pasta dishes. LOL

One word of warning about this dish, cause I learned this the hard way, do not attempt using sweet onions, such as Walla Walla or Maui; they will be over-powered by the capers. You really need the pungency of good old White or Brown onions. This will work well with Trenne (TRAY-nay) also, though this triangular tube shape, as opposed to Penne which is a round tube shape, is kind of hard to find, so I usually opt for Lumaconi (Snail shells), but I have used Penne on multiple occasions.

Lumaconi with Caramelized Onions and Capers

1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 large White or Brown Onions, Sliced thin
Zest of 1 Lemon
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 cup Chicken or Vegetable Stock
16 oz Lumaconi, Penne or Trenne
2 TB Capers, rinsed
1/4 cup Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, minced
Kosher Salt
Cracked Black Pepper
1 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grated

Slice onions thinly (very thinly, they will caramelize faster)

And don't forget to drain and rinse the capers or they will be too strong.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium flame.

Add onions and saute until they begin to turn golden.

Reduce heat and continue to cook until deep brown and caramelized. (about 15-20 minutes)

Add Lemon Zest and Garlic, and cook 2 minutes more.

Deglaze the pan with Lemon juice, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add Stock and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, to reduce slightly.

Drop the Lumaconi into salted boiling water and cook about 12 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water, just in case.

Place pasta in a warm bowl

and add the onion mixture, tossing to incorporate the two.

Add Capers, Salt, Pepper and Parsley, then toss again.

The awesome part about using Lumaconi, is that during the tossing, some of the capers will hide inside the pasta, so while you are enjoying your caramelized onion sauce, occasionally you will get a surprise burst of caper.

Sprinkle with shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and toss a couple times.

Serve immediately with more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano at the table.

MMMMMM; All carameled onion-y and Lemony with the bite of the occasional caper...

Mangia!!
~~

Brace Yourself For More Bresaola - Insalata Bresaola

Since you can never have too much of a good thing, I decided to revisit Bresaola in it's more familiar form -- Served along the same line as Carpaccio, although I tend to think of it as a salad. Very simple, very easy.... and all kinds of delicious. This recipe is per plate, so if you are preparing it for 4 people, simply quadruple it.

Insalata Bresaola

6 Bresaola slices
Olive oil for drizzling
1 tsp Capers, rinsed
1 TB Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved or Gruyere
1/4 cup Arugala, chopped
2-3 Lemon Slices or Drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar

Lay down the slices on the plate.

Drizzle with Olive oil

Add shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

Rinse the capers. (always rinse capers before using)

Scatter them over the Bresaola.

Add a chopped Arugala in the center.

Serve with Lemon slices or if you choose, drizzle with Balsamic vinegar.

Mangia!!
~~

The Kefi of Avgos - Grecian Frittata

I have mentioned this before, but I will reiterate.

I LOVE eggs

In all forms of preparation. Not the least of which is the delicious Italian open-faced Omelet known as the Frittata.

Today I decided it was time to re-flex my "Greek" muscles a little bit and throw together a frittata with a few Greco-Roman ingredients such as Peperoncini, Kalamata Olives, Capers, Almonds, Feta

and, of course, Myzithra.

Oh yeah baby! One bite and I was breakin' plates and yellin' "Opah!!" Oh, and as a side note, Ouzo does NOT go with a frittata. ;)

I like to use an old Corningware Pyro-Ceramic petite pan for this, cause nothin' goes so easily from stove top to broiler as well as good old Corningware. (They REALLY need to start making that stuff again instead of the cheap stoneware they replaced it with) Oh, and when I use the broiler in the oven, I have it set to 400 degrees.

Grecian Frittata

Olive Oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and Pepper
2 slices of Feta; broken
5-6 Kalamata olives, cut in half
1-2 Peperoncini, sliced into ribbons (or use the pre-sliced kind)
1-2 tsp Capers, rinsed
1 TB toasted slivered Almonds
1-2 TB Myzithra, Grated

Preheat the broiler to 400 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a small 6 inch skillet over medium low heat.

When oil it hot, add the beaten eggs, then season with a pinch of salt and some black pepper.

When the edges begin to "set" lay down the broken Feta.

Then top with sliced Kalamata Olives, Peperoncini, Capers and Slivered Almonds.

Sprinkle the whole thing with Myzithra and place under the broiler

Watch it closely, this will only take about 1-2 minutes before the cheese browns and the frittata "sets", then remove it from the oven.

Cut into wedges and serve.


Yes, a well made Frittata can bring much 'kefi' (joy) to your morning.

Mangia!!
~~