Pesto Chicken over Polenta: Part I

Today and tomorrow, since I'm off from school, I figured that I would write up two posts that document the making of a "fancy" meal. It might even be three parts, but I think two will do. Anyway, today I'm posting the steps in the recipe that you can and should do ahead, while tomorrow will be the meal coming together.

Since the recipe is called "Pesto Chicken", you can guess that we'll make the pesto ahead.

This is really all you need. A bunch of basil, a half cup of walnuts (or pignolis if you want to be fancy), three cloves of garlic, olive oil and Parmesan. You also need a food processor, you can see mine hiding back there.

First thing you should always do when you are using nuts is toast them. It reinvigorates the oils and makes them really fragrant. To do this, just take a dry pan, put it over medium heat, add the nuts in one layer and let it go.

The whole process takes just a few minutes, and you'll know to turn off the heat when the room starts to smell like walnuts. In the end (after like 4 minutes) it should look like this.

Notice that I bought the shelled walnuts, and not the chopped ones. This is mostly because the shelled nuts are easier to toast, and also because we don't need chopped nuts, we have a food processor. Anyway, you see how the nuts have gotten a little browner? They look just a little burnt, but they're not. Once they go in to get chopped, it's going to let off a great aroma.

Anyway, while this is all going on, you just want to take your basil leaves off the stem, making sure you have very little stem left on, and wash it.

It looks so nice and fresh. The basil is actually a little old, if you look closely you may notice some spots. Pesto is notorious as a great way to use and preserve aging basil. I bought this at the store, but I hope that my own basil plant will give off nice leaves soon.

Now the garlic. Just cut off the little nub at the end and smash it with the flat of a knife. Just place the flat over the clove, and punch the knife down using the side of your other fist. I don't think you can be too rough, but don't do it super hard. No one likes broken knives.

Once it's smashed, you can just take the peel away and throw it out.

Next get your food processor all set up and put in the nuts and garlic.

Pulse it on high about 5 or 6 times to get everything nicely chopped up. This is the part where your kitchen will smell divine.

Then add your basil (I had to do this in two batches), and pulse a few more times to get everything chopped up. Then let the processor run on a medium speed (mine had a "dressing" speed) and start drizzling in oil.

Make sure the top is closed and don't drizzle to fast, or you may get some oil splashes. After a few seconds, just turn off the processor and scrape down the sides and let it go for a little longer. You will know the pesto is done when it makes a light green paste. Be careful not to add too much oil! If you do the result will just be oily and dark, it won't taste or look good. Be conservative and check the consistency often.

And that's it! Put in a bowl, add some Parmesan. NOW it's really important to taste for seasonings. Add salt and pepper until it tastes like it should: sweet and a little salty. I needed about a teaspoon and a half of salt and a teaspoon of pepper.  Put some plastic wrap over it and you're all done!

All in all, it takes about 20 minutes to do two batches. This presentation also sucks, but look here tomorrow to see my nice dinner, where I'll actually pay attention to the presentation.


Quick and Easy Pesto
1 Bunch Basil, washed
1/2 cup walnuts
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup olive oil (approximately)
1/4 cup Parmesean
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Toast walnuts in a dry pan for about three to four minutes, or until fragrant.
2. Pulse garlic and walnuts in food processor about 6 times until well chopped.
3. Add basil and pulse a few times. Then turn food processor on medium speed and drizzle in olive oil, remembering to turn off and scrape down the food processor every so often. When finished, the contents should look like a light green paste.
4. Remove to a bowl and fold in Parmesean, salt and pepper.

Summer Peach Soup

So, I bought some peaches at the store this week, it being almost summer and all, and I realized two things:
1. I couldn't possibly eat all of them
2. I didn't know what to do with them, because it's hard to make a crisp without an oven.

It dawned on me, A SOUP! I wanted to make watermelon soup recently, so why not peach soup. The results are light and tart, just what I wanted. WARNING: There is wine in this recipe that you don't cook off

These are your main ingredients. You may also want some salt, and a lemon.

Make sure your peaches are REALLY ripe. Under ripe peaches give NO flavor, they're just starchy. These were pretty ripe, but probably could have used another day or two. According to Ina Garten, there is only one way to tell if a peach is ripe: smell it. I live by that in my peach purchases.

The first thing we need to do is peel and slice the peaches. To do this, you will need a set up with a pot of boiling water and an ice bath.

Boil the peaches for TWO minutes, and then remove to the ice bath. Let them sit there for another two minutes. Reserve a cup of the hot water from the pot.

Now, run a paring knife along the loose skin of the peach until you can make a puncture. From there, you can just tear the skin off. See, by boiling the peaches, you loosened the bonds between the skin of the peach and the meat. You cooled them off so you could handle them.

Look, it's a naked peach. Now, cut the peach in half, remove the pit, and slice into wedges.

Now, we're ready to make soup. In the same pot pour back in the cup of water, and a cup and a quarter of white wine. Add in some cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, and a bit of clove. Oh yeah, and the sugar. I would also add in some lemon juice and lemon zest here. It will smell like you're making tea.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the peaches.

Return to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. The peaches will be nice and tender and will have absorbed some of the liquid.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the peaches to a food processor or blender.

See, the water is a really ugly color, and we want the soup to be pretty, so strain off (we don't want the ugly spices) the liquid from the pot in a fine mesh strainer, and reserve about a quarter cup. Now, add that quarter cup and a quarter cup of white wine along with (really) a pinch of cayenne (or paprika would probably have been better) and a little bit of salt.

Now, let the mixture cool BEFORE blending. I put it in the fridge for about ten minute.

Then blend until smooth and pour into a bowl.

Put back in the fridge for an hour to let chill and enjoy! I suggest garnishing with mint, and some whipped cream, if you have it. (Whipped cream would be really good, it would add some decadence that this is missing)

It makes a nice lunch soup for the summer, or a light dessert. I promise, you'll really like it, just go light on the spices and let the peaches shine through. Oh yeah, I added a bit of butter before I blended, just to round out the flavor a bit, it's not a bad idea.

You can use this same process with any summer fruit. Peaches, strawberries (peaches AND strawberries), avocado would be nice (no need to add butter at the end, or boil the avocado). Cherries and strawberries together, probably not pears though. Watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple. So many possibilities. Try one yourself.

Summer Peach Soup (Adapted from a recipe found here)
3 Peaches, peeled and sliced
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups white wine (something fruity)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp clove (or 2 whole cloves)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or paprika)
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
a pat of butter (optional)

1. Combine water, 1 1/4 cups of wine, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, lemon and sugar in a pot. Put over high heat and bring to a boil.

2. Add peaches and return to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Remove peaches from the liquid and put in a blender or food processor along with the remaining white wine and a quarter cup of the strained cooking liquid. Add cayenne and salt.

4. Let cool for about ten minutes, then blend until smooth. Cool the results for an hour before eating. Garnish with mint and/or whipped cream for added yumminess.

Pork Chops in a Mustard Cream Sauce

Three weeks ago I went to the butcher and saw center cut pork chops on sale ($3.99/lb, so good), so naturally I snatched up two for a date night dinner with my girlfriend. Sadly, we both had the same not so fond memories of how our moms cooked the chops when we were kids. My mom always breaded them and baked the heck out of them in the oven, not delicious.

After doing some searching on the internet for a good recipe, looking for good mustard sauce or crust for the chops that wouldn't require an oven, we found this recipe on the Food and Wine website. It only required a little tweaking (they finish the chops in the oven), and we were able to make it just on the stove. The results were amazing! We've never had pork chops that tasted so much like... well... pork. I don't think you have either. The sauce is actually a classic French sauce, I'm just not sure which one it is. Any idea?

First, it all starts with our pork chops. They're really the star of this show.

 

Season them liberally with salf and pepper on both sides and make sure to rub it in a little bit.

 

Heat up a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet, until it's shimmering, but not smoking. You can tell if it's ready by spritzing water on it. If the water spatters and evaporates, then the oil is ready. When that happens, it's time to put the chops in.

 

Make sure that the oil is really THAT hot, we want to make nice sear on the pork. You should cook the chops for about six minutes on each side, or until nice and golden brown. You'll see what I mean in a minute.

While that is cooking on the first side, gather the ingredients for the sauce.

You'll need to dice half of a shallot. I didn't have any and the ones in the vegetable market looked bad, so I used a quarter of a small onion. (The sauce was a little too sharp, I really do recommend the shallots)

 

You'll also need to gather the following ingredients.

 

Chicken stock, red wine vinegar, heavy cream (YUM) and dijon mustard. I may have forgotten something, we'll see in a bit.

By now, your first six minutes is up, so you need to flip over the pork chops.

 

Look at that nice sear, it's going to taste delicious. Also, some of the fat on the outside of the chop has melted in to the oil, it will make for really good sauce!

After six minutes on the second side, take the chops out of the pan and let them rest. I tent some aluminum foil over a plate for this, just to keep them warm.

At this point, I turn off the heat in the pan, because it's REALLY hot still. Then, toss in your diced shallot (or in my case, onion).

 

Let it cook for about 3 minutes, until the onions get tender. I overcooked mine a little and they started the caramelize. It was still okay, until they started burning.

 

This is the point where I turn the flame back on to medium, and add in the red wine vinegar. Really stir it around vigorously in the pan with a wooden spoon. You want to scrape all of the brown bits up off the bottom.

 

See, onions starting to burn... bad time. It will take the vinegar less than a minute to evaporate, so have your next ingredient ready, chicken stock. Add it to the pan and let it reduce by half. It should take about three minutes.

Ouch, more burning onions and blurry picture. Double bad. So, when that's done, add the cream, making sure that the flame is low. You don't want it to boil, you just want to warm it through.

 

When the cream has reduced just a little bit, add in the dijon mustard and stir. That's really what the above picture is. That should be the consistency of your final sauce. It looks so good.

You can add some salt and pepper to taste, but if you seasoned the chops well enough, you won't need it.

Serve up the pork chops smothered in the delectable sauce. You probably want something starchy to sop it all up. Not a drop should be wasted, it's liquid crack.

 

 

Really, it's so good, there's almost a heavenly glow around it. I promise, it's not just my bad camera skills. HEAVENLY GLOW. It's that wonderful.

Here's a recipe so that you can experience it all on your own.

Pork Chops with Mustard Cream Sauce (adapted from Food and Wine Magazine)

2 center cut pork chops, about an inch thick

salt and pepper

1-1/2 tsbp olive oil

1/2 shallot, finely chopped (or 1/4 small onion, diced)

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup heavy cream

~1 tbsp dijon mustard

1. Season pork chops liberally with salt and pepper while heating oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

2. When oil is shimmering, but not smoking, add in pork chops, cook for six minutes on each side, then remove and let rest.

3. Turn off the heat and add the shallot, sauteing it using just the residual heat in the pan.

4. Turn flame back on to medium or medium low and deglaze the pan using the red wine vinegar. Allow to evaporate completely, which will take about 30 seconds.

5. Add in chicken stock, stirring with a wooden spoon to make sure that you are mixing in all of the bits from the bottom of the pan. Let reduce by half, which will take about 2 or 3 minutes.

6. Turn head to medium low and add the cream. Let reduce slightly, about 2 minutes, then add in dijon mustard an stir.

7. Return chops to the pan and just turn them over to coat in sauce. Add parsley for garnish if you want. Serve with some starch to absorb sauce, but don't think you're too good for licking your fingers.

Enjoy!

Thyme Chicken in a White Wine and Lemon Reduction

It sounds so fancy, doesn't it. I mean "white wine and lemon reduction". It's definitely the sort of thing that would catch my eye on the menu. It sounds refined, and it kind of is. It makes a good impression on a first date, that's for sure. It's the kind of simple recipe that will help you impress your friends, or the important person you invite over for dinner. Just remember to say the name.

So, it all starts with some boneless, skinless chicken cutlets. I get two from the grocery store and cut them in half. To do that, put one hand down on top of the cutlet and slice about half way down. It will be like butterflying the cutlet, but then cutting it all the way through.

Next up is some thyme. Thyme typically comes in bunches at the grocery store. Try to buy a bunch that looks very green. It's also not too difficult to grow English Thyme in a home garden, the seeds are pretty cheap too. If you grow LEMON THYME, that's really the best. In fact, let's be friends.

We need to get those thyme leaves off the stems. The trick is to hold the top of each stem and, using your thumb and forefinger, pull against the grain of the leaves. They'll come right off. Then, just give them a little chop to break down any woody pieces left over.

 

Thyme that is allowed to mature will have many off-chutes on one large stem. You may have to rip those off before using the method above. You can then do the same thing to the smaller stems.

Now it's time to bread the chicken.

I typically have a five station set-up for this. You need three bowls and a plate. In two bowls put in flow, salt and pepper. In one of those (the last one) add in a whole lot of thyme. The third bowl get the egg wash.

Now, step 1 is to drag a chicken cutlet through the bowl with just flour, salt and pepper.

 

Next, it's time for a nice bath in the egg wash, which is just an egg with a tablespoon of water.

Finally, dunk that cutlet right in to the final bowl, which has all the thyme in it. Seasoning each bowl with salt and pepper ensures that each cutlet is adequately (and evenly) seasoned. It's really important.

 

Great, now that's done. Sorry I didn't take a picture of all the breaded cutlets,  I was working with my camera phone, and the battery went low.

Some people may recommend patting the cutlets dry before you start dredging them. It's a good idea, I think it's supposed to make the crust crispier. I don't typically do it for chicken though. Beef usually gets a good pat down from me though.

Okay, so now heat some olive oil in a pan (just a 2 tablespoons) and put two chicken cutlets in (unless you can fit more... I couldn't).

Cook for 4-5 minutes on the first side, or until the flour on the bottom starts to brown. Then flip them and do another 4-5 minutes on the other side.

 

It looks really good. Look at all of those flecks of thyme embedded in the crust. That's going to be so good.

Now it's "reduction" time. Remove all of the cutlets to a plate lined with paper towels (not shown). Grab some butter and flour and throw them in the pan (more butter than flour). Cook it over medium heat for a minute or two until the flour just starts to brown.

You definitely want to keep it all moving. You need the flour to cook, not burn.

Now is the fun part. Take a quarter cup of either Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio and deglaze the pan.

Basically, pour it in to the hot pan, it will sizzle, and start stirring to try to get all of the chicken goodness up from the bottom of the pan.

Look at all of that steamy goodness. Sorry about the blurriness. It's my first try at an action shot. Really scrape up all of those bits from the bottom. It will color the sauce and make it taste like chicken.

Let the wine reduce over medium heat for about 3 minutes, then add in chicken stock, juice from half of a lemon, salt, pepper and thyme. Let the sauce reduce until it is the desired consistency, which is a loose sauce that you can ladle.

 

GREAT! So, serve it up. Chicken cutlet first, then spoon the sauce over it. I served it with some mashed cauliflower and a spinach salad. The sauce was really good over the cauliflower also.

I mean, it just looks elegant. I told you, really impressive for guests, but not that hard.

I'm leaving the recipe below so that you can try it out on your next first date. Like I said, it really worked out for me.

Oh yeah! I want to take some requests for meals you would like to see cooked, without an oven. Leave some ideas in the comments!

Thyme Chicken in a White Wine and Lemon Reduction

2 boneless skinless chicken cutlets, cut in half lengthwise

2 tbsp fresh thyme, roughly chopped

2/3 cup flour

1 egg

1 tbsp water

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3-4 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/3 cup stock

1/2 - 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1. Put half of the flour in each of two bowls. Season each bowl with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Season one bowl with the fresh thyme. Beat together the egg and water in a third bowl.

2. Dredge the chicken cutlets by placing them first in the bowl of flour without thyme, then the egg wash, then the bowl with thyme. At each step, make sure the cutlet is fully covered in the contents of the bowl.

3. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Saute the cutlets over medium high heat, about 4-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the cutlets.

4. Remove the cutlets after cooking, and add in the butter and a pinch of some of the seasoned flour. Cook over medium heat until the flour just browns.

5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, then let reduce for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.

6. Add in chicken stock, then season with thyme, salt and pepper and let reduce over medium heat until it is the desired thickness.

7. Serve with a starch by spooning the sauce over both the chicken and the starch.

Enjoy!