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!!
~~

Mastering the Minutiae - Minestrone alla Genovese

Minestrone.  Is there any soup so quintessentially Italian?  I think not. Is there any soup that is more satisfying?  I think not.  Is there any soup so open to interpretation?  I think not.   WOW, that's a lot of "not" thinking.  :)

Minestrone is often misunderstood.  It's not so much an actual recipe as it is a STYLE of soup.  If you have ever watched Rachel Ray, you will be familiar with her "Stoup" concept.  Whether you choose to view it as a thick soup or a brothy stew... that pretty much describes Minestrone.  Thicker than soup but not quite a stew.  Which is why it seems to stick to your ribs so well in the cold winter months.

Though Minestrone is more of a "whatever you have lying around" kind of dish, there are still two main varieties.  Milan & Genoa.  Minestrone alla Milanese is what most Americans are familiar with, made popular by such brands as Progresso.  It typically contains at least a little meat, tomatoes and pasta, along with a plethora of other ingredients that are completely at the discretion of the chef.  There is, however, another manifestation of Minestrone that is my personal favorite; the meatless version from Genoa in northern Italy.

Not that I am a Vegetarian or Vegan, by any stretch of the imagination; I just find the combination of multiple greens, mushrooms, potato, pasta and white beans to be more to my liking.  Granted, if you so desired you could add tomatoes or any other various ingredients to the melee.  But there is ONE rule with Minestrone from Genoa... It must, Must, MUST be finished off with a couple hefty tablespoons of that ever so evocative of Genovese ingredients..... Pesto.

Minestrone alla Genovese

1 oz dried Porcini (this will be about 3 oz (85 g) after soaking)
8 cups Water, divided
3.5 oz (100g) Leek, sliced
4 oz (113g) Swiss Chard, chopped
4 oz (113g) Spinach, chopped
2 tsp Kosher Salt
10 oz (285g) Zucchini, peeled, quartered and sliced  (about 2 small)
8 oz (226g) Japanese Eggplant, peeled and cubed (about 2 small)
10 oz (285g) White Potato, diced (about 2 small)
2 TB Olive Oil
4  oz (113g) (1 cup) Ditalini or other small Pasta (I used Gemelli this time, cause it was in the cupboard)
12 oz (340g) (2 cups) Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
2 -3 TB Pesto Genovese
optional - Pecorino Romano

Soak the Porcini in 2 cups of warm water for 30 minutes.

Remove the mushrooms and reserve the liquid.

Rinse the Porcini under cold running water to remove any grit.

Dry them with paper towels.

Chop them and set them aside.

Strain the liquid through cheese cloth or a coffee filter.

Pour the "Mushroom Stock" into a 6 quart Stock pot.

Add the remaining 6 cups of water to the pot along with the Kosher Salt and apply a medium flame.

Remove the stems from the chard, and chop the remaining leaves.

Chop the Spinach.

Slice the Leeks

Peel, quarter and slice the Zucchini.

Peel, and cube the Eggplant.

Dice the Potato.

Drain and rinse the Cannellini Beans

When the salted Porcini Water comes to a boil, add the Porcini, Leeks, Chard, Spinach, Zucchini, Eggplant and Potato.

Drizzle the whole thing with Olive oil.

Reduce the flame to low and simmer the soup for 1 hour, uncovered.

Add the Pasta and simmer an additional 10 minutes.

Add the Cannellini Beans and simmer 5 minutes longer.

Just before serving, stir in the Pesto.

Adjust seasoning with Black Pepper and additional Kosher Salt if needed.
Serve as is, or with a sprinkle of freshly grated Pecorino Romano.

Mangia!!
~~

They Call Me Mellow Yellow – Chillin With The ‘Cello

Yep, that’s right folks!
My patience wore out and I am finishing up the Limoncello. I was going to wait 45 days, but the lemon zest is white now, so I am assuming they have given their all to the alcohol.
Syrup time…..


400g Granulated Sugar (Sorry, but I did measure by weight)
16 oz Water

This is what I am starting with for 2 reasons:

• My water content is higher due to the 75.5% Grain alcohol that I had to use.
• Meyer lemons are sweeter than Eureka or Sorrento.

If I was using Eureka lemons and 75.5% alcohol, I would use 500g sugar and 16 oz water.
If I had 95.5% I would use 24 oz of water, maybe a little more, to keep the ending percentage around 25%-30%.
After all, this is suppose to be a liqueur, and should not be up in the 40% like harder liquors (i.e. Vodka, Gin)

Anyway, boil your sugar syrup for about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool.
Strain out the Lemon Zest and cardamom seeds, and move the liquid back into your steeping jar.

Once the syrup is cooled, add to the steeping jar and shake to mix.

Let sit for at least 1 hour, before Bottling.

I found some great bottles at Marshall's, made out of Recycles glass.. Awesome!!

Bottle your Limoncello and promptly toss in the freezer. Oh, the center one, I added just a little ice cold water to show the reaction of cold water on Limoncello... It turns cloudy like ouzo

Limoncello is like revenge, best served Ice Cold… ;)

Cin Cin!!
~~

Priests Beware!! - Strangolapreti; "Priest Stranglers"

Strangolapreti, literally translated, means Priest Choker or Priest Strangler. This particular version is either from the Trentino, Alto Adige or Friuli regions of Northern Italy where there is a lot of German influence to the cuisine. For all intensive purposes this is simply another form of "Gnocchi" utilizing day old bread or bread crumbs instead of Ricotta (Lombardia & Tuscany), Potato (Piemonte), Pumpkin (also Tuscany) or Pasta Dough (Emilia-Romagna, Campania and Lucania; also Sardinia)

I originally picked this recipe up from La Cucina Italiana a couple of years ago... I don't know if my bread is just never stale enough or not, but I have found that I ALWAYS seem to have to add at least 3/4 cup of flour to the recipe, in order for the dough to become workable and not just a sticky mess in the food processor. Next time I make these, I am going to simply puree the Swiss Chard by itself and and see it that makes a difference in the dough texture. But for now, this is the my altered version of the original recipe.

Strangolapreti

7 1/2 oz Stale White Bread

3/4 cup Whole Milk
1 tsp Salt
1 pound Swiss Chard
1 large Egg
1 cup AP Flour
4 TB Unsalted Butter
5 large Sage Leaves; chopped
Cracked Black Pepper
4 oz Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese

My bread must have been REALLY light, cause it took alot to make 7 1/2 oz - They had suggested 7 Slices...

Cut bread into cubes and place in a large bowl.

Add milk and cover mixture with plastic wrap;

weight with a plate or smaller bowl filled with water.

Chill in refrigerator overnight.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
Rinse the chard, and remove the ribs; chop coarsely.

Add chard to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute; drain

and rinse with cold water to cool.

Once cooled enough to handle, squeeze water from chard.
In a food processor, puree bread and milk until slightly chunky, about 30 seconds.

Add chard, egg and 1 teaspoon salt; puree until a paste forms. (about 2 minutes)

Add 1/2 cup flour and pulse a couple of times.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup flour over your board and turn paste out, gently kneading until incorporated.
Add another 1/4 cup of flour a little at a time, stopping when you have achieved a smooth ball.

Divide into 4 pieces, rolling each piece into a 1/2 inch diameter rope.
Cut crosswise into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

Bring another large pot of salted water to a boil, or reheat the water from blanching the chard.
Add strangolapreti about 20 at a time; cook until strangolapreti float and are cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer strangolapreti to a warmed serving bowl.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; add sage leaves, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until butter is fragrant and flavored with the sage, about 5 minutes.

Remove sage leaves, pour butter over strangolapreti, add Cracked Black pepper, 2 oz of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and more chopped Sage (if desired); tossing gently to combine.

Serve with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Mangia!!!
~~