Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Chicken Stew with Puttanesca Sauce

Can you believe I have never made Puttanesca Sauce? Why? I have no idea! But I will now be making it more often. Where's the bread! You do not want to waste a drop of this.

The recipe comes from From Biba's Italian Kitchen. This is running a close second to Chicken Cacciatore for favorite chicken recipes. And we get to have leftovers tomorrow night. One pan and two meals... gotta love that.

Ingredients  (Serves 4) -
1/3 cup exra vigin olive oil
One 4 pound chicken cut up into 8 serving pieces, washed and dried on paper towels
Salt to taste
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced (I cut it in half so I could remove it)
2 - 2 1/2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes with their juces put through a food mill to remove the seeds (I used crushed tomatoes, I do not have a food mill but more on that later this week)
Dried red pepper flakes to tast
8-10 pitted blackolives, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. capers, rinsed

Method -
Heat the oil in a wide bottomed casserole over medium heat. When the oil is very hot, slip in the chicken piece without crowding them. Cook until the chicken is golden on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a large platter.

Discard half of the oil in the casserole. Add the anchovies and the garlic and stir quickly a few times (Remember that the oil is very hot and the garlic will turn golden in no time at all). Add the tomatoes and bring to a gentle boil. Season with salt and red pepper flakes. Return the chicken to the casserole, reduce heat to low and cover the pan partially. Simmer 30 to 40 minutes, turning the chicken pieces and stirring occasionally. Add the olives and the capers, and simmer 5 to 10 minutes longer. If the sauce is a bit thin, transfer the chicken pieces to a large platter, raise the heat under the pan and boil the sauce down to a thicker consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Lentil and Rice Soup

A long long time ago my mom and I would watch Biba's Italian Kitchen on TV.  We loved her and her style of cooking. So it was natural that my mom got me her cookbook. Of course my mom had to borrow it. I still have her page markers in the book with the recipes that she wanted to make.
Tonight's recipe was one of the first one's that I made from the book. For tonight's dinner I prepared the soup yesterday and made the rice separately so it could be added to the heated soup tonight.

Ingredients -
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1/4 pound pancetta, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1/2 pound (1 1/2 cups) brown or green lentils, washed
2 cups chopped canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, with their juice
1 1/2 quarts meat broth or 3 cups canned meat broth and 3 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Arborio Rice
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 garlic clove, minced


Method -
Heat the oil in a medium size sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, Pancetta and parsley and cook, stirring until the onion and pancetta are lightly golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the lentils and stir once or twice. Add the tomatoes and cook a minute or two. Add the broth and bring to a gentle boil. Season salt and pepper. Cover the pot partially and cook over low heat until lentils are tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Stir a few times during cooking.


Bring a small sauce pan of water to a boil and add the rice. Cook, uncovered until rice is tender but still firm to the bite, about 15 minutes. Drain the rice and add it to the soup. Let the soup rest for 20 minutes or so before serving. Serve hot or at  room temperature with a generous sprinkling of freshly grated Parmigiano.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Beer-Braised Beef and Onions with Smashed Potatoes

 
Wow. Easy description of tonight's dinner. The meat melted in our mouths. I made 2 beef shanks and we devoured them. It was the best recipe for beef shanks I have found so far. I found this recipe on La Cucina Italiana site. Trust me you will love this!

Ingredients -
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds onions, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 pounds meaty cross-cut beef shanks (about 4 ossobuco)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 (14.9-ounce) cans dark beer such as Guinness
2 cups beef broth
2 1/4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes

Method -
In a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven or wide heavy pot with lid, heat oil over medium-high heat; add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and golden, about 8 minutes. Remove pot from heat.

In a large heavy skillet, melt 2 1/2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. In batches, brown shanks, 3 to 4 minutes per side, wiping pan and adding up to 1/2 tablespoon more butter, if necessary.

Transfer shanks to a cutting board. Cut meat off bones (reserve bones); cut meat into 1-inch pieces. Transfer meat and bones to pot with onions; stir in paprika and season generously with salt and pepper. Add beer and 1 cup broth; bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, adding remaining cup broth to pot as necessary to keep meat covered by at least 1 inch, until meat is very tender, about 2 hours.

When meat is 30 to 40 minutes from being done, put potatoes into a medium saucepan and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring water to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes or more, depending on size of potatoes. Drain and peel potatoes; transfer to a large bowl. Add remaining 5 tablespoons butter and coarsely mash; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer meat, bones and onions to a large bowl. Into a second large bowl, strain braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve; put any remaining onions into bowl with meat. Remove marrow from bones and stir into meat mixture; discard bones. Adjust seasoning.

Arrange meat and potatoes on a large serving platter; moisten with a little braising liquid. Serve warm.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Sausage with Fennel and Olives

Tonight's dinner was from Lidia's Favorite Recipes. This book is quickly becoming one of my favorites. It will be on the top of my list for possible Christmas gifts! Sausage with Fennel and Olives, Salsicce con Finocchio e Olive. We do not eat a lot of Fennel. Fennel always reminded me of a holiday. It was something my Dad liked to have on the table at the end of the meal. He would cut slices of it for me. He loved it and I of course enjoyed it too.

I was pleased with the result of this recipe. Chris really enjoyed it. The fennel almost melted in your mouth. I made this on Monday and so Chris just had to heat it up when he got home.

Sausage with Fennel and Olives (serves 6)
I did cut the recipe in half and of course did not use the garlic!

Ingredients -
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 sweet Italian sausages (about 2 pounds)
1 cup dry white wine
6 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup large green olives, squashed and pitted
3 large fennel bulbs (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method -
Pour half of the olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausages; cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes or more. Carefully add wine and bring to a boil; cook until reduced by half. Transfer sausages to a platter; pour over cooking liquid.

Add remaining olive oil to skillet over medium heat. Add garlic cook about 1 minute. Clear a hot spot and cook the crushed red pepper in it for a couple of seconds. Add olives; toss and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add fennel chunks and stir to combine. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover skillet, and cook over medium high heat for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fennel softens, and begins to color. Add a little water to the pan if fennel remains hard; you want it to be wilted but not mushy.

When the fennel is cooked through, return sausages and wine to skillet. Toss together with fennel and cook, uncovered for about 5 minutes. Adjust the season to taste.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Baked Chicken with Eggplant, Zucchini & Tomato Ragout

 This was from Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food. Again another easy to prepare dinner.
We served it over the bread I made on Monday. The chicken was nice and moist and we have enough of the ragout leftover for another use.

And the best part is the recipe is online! Just kind of busy tonight to type it out.
So here you go -
Baked Chicken with Eggplant, Zucchini & Tomato Ragout

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Cannellini, Chorizo and Red Onion Soup

This week I am cooking from the two cookbooks I received for Christmas. Lidia's Favorite Recipes and Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food. The past two nights have been from Lidia's Favorite Recipes but tonight we used the Gordon Ramsay book.

Cannellini Bean, Chorizo and Red Onion Soup was suppose to be Lima Beans but one of us really doesn't like Lima Beans So I opted for the Cannellini. What an amazing soup. So easy to prepare and the flavors were nice and spicy. There is nothing to put this soup together. Try this before you open a can of store bought soup.
To go along with the soup I made grilled cheese sandwiches with the leftover meatloaf from last night. I added some fresh mozzarella and roasted red peppers. The bread I used was made on Monday. I love this recipe. The results were beautiful.


Cannellini Bean, Chorizo and Red Onion Soup

Ingredients
8 oz Chorizo sausage, skin removed
3 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced (Yup left that out!)
fresh thyme sprigs
2 14 oz cans lime beans, drained and rinsed (or cannelini bean!)
sea salt and black pepper
squeeze of lemon juice
handful of chopped Italian Parsley

Chop the chorizo into small bit-size pieces.  Bring a pan of water to a boil.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan and add the onions, garlic and thyme. Cook stirring for 2 minutes, then add the chorizo. Stir over high heat a few minutes until the oil has taken on a reddish-golden hue from the chorizo
Add the beans and pour just enough boiling water to cover them. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 10 minutes.
Season generously with salt and pepper and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Scatter over the chopped parsley and serve.

This is too easy not to make!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Polpettone di Manzo Con Ricotta


This is the second time I have used this recipe from Lidia's Favorite Recipes. I just love it. And even this time I forgot to heat up the tomato sauce! Heck I even forgot to add the Mozzarella cheese! No harm done it was still delicious.
For a side dishes I made Mashed Potatoes (of course), and I roasted Brussels Sprouts. Just in a little olive oil and salt. Perfect. And I saw someone who will remain nameless go back for seconds of the sprouts!

And I did some baking today ...

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Chicken and Rice

 
Comfort Food Alert!!!! From Lidia's Favorite Recipes. Oh this was very good. Perfect for a cold day like today. It was quite easy to make. It required a bit of hands on time but so worth the time spend at the stove.

This recipe serves 4 to 6 people. I cut it in half and still had leftovers for lunch.

Ingredients -
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup onion cut into 1- inch chunks
1 cup carrot cut into 1- inch chunks
1 cup celery cut into 1- inch chunks
2 plumb cloves of garlic (I did not add the garlic)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 fresh bay leaf (I used dried)
1 cup dry white wine
5 cups hot chicken or turkey stock (I used chicken)
2 cups Italian short-grain rice such as Arborio
2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
3 tbsp chopped Italian
1 /2 cup grated Parmigiano, plus more for passing


Method -
Trim any extra fat from the chicken and cut the thighs into 1 inch chunks.  In a food processor, mince the onion, carrot, celery and garlic into a fine textured pestata.
Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan and set over medium high heat. Stir in the pestata and and season with one teaspoon of the salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the pestata has dried. Toss in the chicken and the bay leaf, and sprinkle with one more teaspoon of the salt. Cook until the chicken is browning and caramelizing. Raise the heat and add the wine, stirring and scraping up the browned bits in the pan. Cook until the most of the wine has evaporated. While stirring, pour in the hot stock and the rice. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce the heat to keep it bubbling gently. Cook for 14 minutes (It took me 20 minutes), or until the rice and chicken are fully cooked and the rice is a creamy consistency.

Turn off the heat and drop in the butter, stirring until it's completely incorporated, then stir in the parsley and the 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Serve immediately with additional cheese to pass around at the table.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Pork Chops with Sage and Rosemary

Delicious. Yeah dinner was just that. After a rather long day of packing up stuff at my Dad's house I came home to prepare dinner. I had taken out pork chops this morning and was going to do the breading thing. But then I found a recipe online that of course I did not have all the ingredients for, how could I be out of honey! But I forged ahead.

I boiled the potatoes until almost tender, drained them and set them aside. Heated olive oil in a saute pan. I seasoned the pork chops with a lot of crushed pepper and some salt. I browned one side and added a sage leaf and a rosemary sprig to the other side. Then I browned that side. The potatoes were added the the pan and seasoned with salt, pepper, chopped sage and rosemary. The pan went into a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. And that was all.


The green beans were blanched and tossed with olive oil and salt.


Friday, February 15, 2013

Shrimp and Beans

Today was the first Friday of Lent. We had Shrimp and Beans, Gamberi Coi Fagioli. Just one thing... the recipe called for Pancetta. Usually I would omit it. That whole meatless Friday thing. But if the pope can retire then darn it one week out of Lent we can have some Pancetta.
On that subject I found this on Facebook -


Tonight's recipe is from Every Night Italian by Giuliano Hazan, yes his mother is Marcella Hazan. I love this cookbook. Every recipe that I have made from it has been wonderful.

Ingredients
1 cup yellow onion, thinly sliced crosswise
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound)
1 1/2 cup drained canned cranberry or cannellini beans
6 to 8 fresh sage leaves
4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled
3 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tsp chopped flat leaf parsley
salt
fresh ground pepper


Method
Put the onion and 2 tbsp olive oil in large skillet and place over medium heat. Sauté until the onion turns a rich golden color.
While the onion is sautéing unravel the pancetta and cut into strips about 1 inch long and 1/8 inch thick. Peel and devein the shrimp.
Add the pancetta to the onion and cook until it begins to color lightly, then add the beans and sage and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
When you are ready to serve, put the garlic and remaining tbsp olive oil in a clean skillet and place over high heat. Begin reheating the beans over low heat, if necessary. Sauté the garlic until it begins to color, then remove the cloves and discard them. Add the shrimp and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the wine and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Cook the shrimp until they turn completely pink, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Toss the beans and shrimp together and serve at once with a good crusty bread.

As for the rest of this week let's do a recap. Monday we had Butternut Squash Soup with Grilled Cheese on Homemade Rye Bread. Tuesday we had Steak Sandwiches with Sauteed Onions on Homemade Rye Bread with Butternut Squash Soup. Wednesday we ate at the Infinity Hall, we saw Ian Hunter in concert. Excellent show! Last night, Valentine's Day, I picked up dinner at La Rosticceria. Chris had the New York Steak with Green Peppercorn & Brandy Cream Sauce and I had the Salmon with Fennel & Tarragon Cream. That meal got two thumbs up from both of us.

Yes this has been a crazy week. On that note I will leave you with a personal favorite song. Enjoy -

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Yes Today Is My Birthday But....

 
Yes today is my birthday. So I decided, seeing we are still snowed in, that I would make one of my favorite things for dinner. Baked Chicken just like my mom use to make.
I remember one year for my birthday she made me Fried Chicken. Oh My! My mom had a habit of what ever she would make, no matter what nationality, it came out tasting Italian. Well she got the Fried Chicken spot on! I was not about to fry chicken so I made her recipe for baked chicken.
Coat the cut up chicken pieces with olive oil and season with oregano, salt and pepper.
I added crushed red pepper, thyme and a bit of hot sauce and lemon juice.
Into a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes and then lower the oven to 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. The skin was crispy and the meat was moist.

Birthday cake, no! But I made a jam cookie with Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves that were made by a  co-worker's sister-in-law. They were soo good. Nice chunky pieces of strawberry.
My mom use to make a cookie that would have been perfect for these preserves. But I could not find the recipe. I have it and I know what the book that it is in looks like but damn I could not find it.

I was talking to my sister and mentioned that I was looking for the recipe. She said that it was her mother-in-law's recipe! And she had it right there.

Jam Cookies

Ingredients -
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable shortening


4 tsp milk
3 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 jars preserves
Confectioner's sugar for sprinkling on top of baked cookies


Cut shortening into dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add eggs and milk. Mix and knead until blended. Divide into 4 pieces. Roll out into 7 1/2" by 12" sheets. Spread the jam 3/4" from edge. Sprinkle with nuts. Fold in 3 and seal the ends. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool and cut into 3/4 to 1 inch slices. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

While I did not get a cake I did get a lot of kisses from a certain little cat!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Steak Pizzaiola

Well it's not Leon's but dinner was pretty good. (We had reservations at Leon's but due to a lot of snow...)

I made my mom's recipe for Steak Pizzaiola.  I looked online and found a lot of different recipes but I like this one best.

Simple to make. Place steaks in baking dish. Pierce with fork. Top with plum tomatoes, crushed with your hands. Season with lots of oregano. Add basil, parsley, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and top with olive oil. Place in 400 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

A nice bottle of Montepulciano D'Abruzzo made this a perfect Saturday night dinner.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Ravioli Charlotte

Yes it is snowing. It is snowing a lot. We are in blizzard conditions. A tree fell in our yard while we were eating. So if a tree falls in the forest I will hear it!

Lights are flickering while I type this... Please keep the power on!
Okay enough of the histrionics and on to dinner.

On Wednesday I stopped at the store on the way home from work because we needed cat food and the looming storm was on the horizon. I thought I had to pick up storm essentials! Oh Golden Beets! We really need those.

And those golden beets were the main component of tonight's dinner. Dinner was named after the blizzard

I sauteed some pancetta until crisp and then added the sliced beets, which had been roasted earlier in the day. I sliced up the beet greens and added them to the pan, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and a little white wine. The ravioli was boiled and then added them to the saute pan to finish cooking. I also added a bit of the pasta water to the pan.

The result was delicious. 


Ready for some snow pictures?

 6PM -

7:45PM -

 I woke up at 3AM -


 

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Beef Stew with Cannelini Beans

How about a short post tonight... after all we made short work of this dinner. The recipe is from from Every Night Italian. If you do not have this book you might want to add it to your collection.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Extra Easy Lasagna

I found this recipe on myrecipe.com. This was quite good. Any leftovers? Nope.

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
4 cups homemade marinara sauce
6 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup hot water


Method

Cook beef in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in pasta sauce.

Spread one-third of meat sauce in a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish; layer with 3 noodles and half each of ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. (The ricotta cheese layers will be thin.) Repeat procedure; spread remaining one-third of meat sauce over mozzarella cheese. Slowly pour 1/4 cup hot water around inside edge of dish. Tightly cover baking dish with 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Bake at 375° for 45 minutes; uncover and bake 10 more minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Leftover Spaghetti Con Capicola E Pangrattato

Remember last Saturday when I made Spaghetti Con Capicola E Pangrattato and I said to stay tuned for what was going to be done with the leftovers? Well here it is -

Spaghetti Pie.

The recipe for the Spaghetti Pie is from Cooking with Chef Silvio. It is the perfect way to use up leftover pasta.

Ingredients
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup pecorino romano cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper
12 oz cooked spaghetti, cold
2 tbsp butter


Method
In a bowl, beat the eggs, grated cheese, cream, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined. Stir in the spaghetti, then set aside. Place the butter in a deep pie tin and melt the butter in a 425 degree oven, and spread over the pan bottom. Pour half of the spaghetti mixture into the buttered pan and spread evenly. Bake at 425 degrees for 8 to 20 minutes,or until it is firm and golden.

We had this with the leftover soup from last night.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Farro, Chickpea and Chestnut Soup

If you to read something mouthwatering you need to visit Ciao Chow Linda's post Some Enchanted Evening. I was delighted when I saw the recipe for Farro, Chickpea and Chestnut Soup. I love when I have everything in the house for a recipe. This soup was delicious. Perfect after last week's meat filled menu.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Baked Pork Ribs with Hoisin Barbecue Sauce

 
If it is Super Bowl Sunday than you probably know what we are having for dinner. Baked Pork Ribs with Hoisin Barbecue Sauce from Epicurious.com. Easy to make and pretty much hands free, leaving extra time for commercial watching.

For snacks I made nachos and a new recipe - Roasted Rosemary Walnuts. You have to try these.

 
Another Super Bowl tradition are Nachos

Side dishes with dinner were Roasted Cauliflower and Leeks.
Yes Leeks. I found this recipe on Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome. Loved it! 


And Roasted Potatoes.





Saturday, February 2, 2013

Spaghetti Con Capicola E Pangrattato

Spaghetti Con Capicola E Pangrattato was suppose to be Spaghetti with Speck and Bread Crumbs. I was searching the deli counter for Speck. That is what the recipe from La Cucina called for. The deli person said maybe Capicola would work... And it did!
This had a nice spicy bite to it.

Ingredients -
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 ounces Capicola, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped
6 tablespoons fine plain bread crumbs
1/2 pound spaghetti
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method -
In a large skillet, heat half of the butter and oil over medium heat until butter is melted. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 7 minutes.
Add Capicola and marjoram: cook, stirring, 3 minutes more. Transfer onion mixture to a plate. In the same skillet, lightly brown bread crumbs in the remaining butter; add onion mixture and stir to combine.
Remove from heat, and cover to keep warm.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil. Add spaghetti and cook to al dente; drain. Transfer spaghetti to skillet with onion mixture, toss to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Best part about this dinner are the leftovers. What shall we do with them? Stay tuned...

Almost forgot to mention what we had as a starter. Stuffed Scallops. I purchased them at Robert's Food Center. They had the sale where you get 20% off your entire meat purchase with a coupon that was in our local paper. I love this sale. We stock up with usually enough meat to last us until the next sale.

 






Friday, February 1, 2013

Chicken Piccata

Tonight we had what was suppose to be last Saturday night's dinner. Chicken Piccata, Rice Balls, Roasted Butternut Squash. All three dishes were delicious. For the chicken I used the Giada De Laurentiis recipe on the Food Network site. Simple to prepare.


The butternut squash was tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and thyme. It roasted for about 40 minutes, stirring it half way through.

The rice balls were in the freezer and I served them with a quick marinara sauce.

Some 2005 Ecco Domani Chianti and we are ready for the weekend... is there a game on this weekend?
 Yes the Puppy Bowl!

And I had to share who was behind the scenes as I am snapping photos of our dinner tonight...



Giada De Laurentiis's Chicken Piccata

Method
2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.
Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.