Chicken Cordon Bleu

One of our go-to meals when we were first married was Barber's Chicken Cordon Bleu. The frozen meal tasted good and was easy to get on the table.

Today I was scrolling through the New York Times Cooking app and a recipe called the Original Chicken Cordon Bleu appeared on my screen. The key instruction is that the chicken breast needs to be pounded thin.

The dinner was delicious. Thumbs up from both sides of the table.

Ingredients-

4 chicken cutlets

4 thin slices of ham

2 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into 4 equal strips

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/4teaspoon black pepper

1 large egg, beaten

3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken stock

3/4 cup white wine

Method-

Lay the chicken breasts between pieces of wax paper and use a mallet to pound them to ¼-inch to ⅛-inch thick. 

Take care not to pound holes in the chicken. 

Layer each breast with the ham, then place a strip of cheese in the center. 

Roll up to completely enclose the ham and cheese and secure with toothpicks.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper. 

Lightly dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, then dip in the egg and coat with bread crumbs. 

Place on a baking sheet and chill for at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the butter. 

Add the chicken and cook, turning carefully with tongs, until browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. 

Add 1/2 cup of the stock to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through 10 to 15 minutes. 

Move the chicken to a warm platter.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of stock to the skillet, raise the heat to high, and cook, stirring up browned bits clinging to the bottom, for 1 minute. 

Add the wine (or heavy cream or additional stock), lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, until the consistency of gravy, about 45 seconds. 

Pour over the chicken breasts and serve.

This is life behind the camera. Lucy likes to sit with us when we eat dinner.

Zuppa Arcidossana

Zuppa Arcidossana, a Mark Bittman recipe, is our favorite one pot 30 minute meal. It actually only takes 25 minutes if you have your ingredients prepped.

We had no leftovers. If we had extra bread we would have wiped the pan clean.

Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 cup 1/2 -inch-diced carrots
1 large onion, chopped
Salt
black pepper
1 cup stale bread (use coarse, country-style bread), cut in ½-inch cubes
1/2  pound spinach, trimmed, washed and roughly chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup ricotta salata, cut in 1/2 -inch cubes (feta may be substituted)
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley, optional

Method-
Put oil in a large pot or deep skillet and brown sausage over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. 
When sausage is cooked through and leaving brown bits in pan, add carrots, onion, and continue to cook until vegetables begin to soften and brown, about 10 minutes. 

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add bread to pan and stir for a minute or 2; add spinach and continue cooking just until it wilts, a couple of minutes.
Add about 2 cups water and stir to loosen any remaining brown bits from pan. 
This is more of a stew than a soup, but there should be some broth, so add another cup of water if necessary. 
When broth is consistency of thin gravy, ladle stew into serving bowls and top with cheese and some freshly chopped parsley if you have it. 
Serve immediately.

Chicken Breasts With Tomatoes and Capers

I found this recipe on one of my Pinterest Boards. 30 Minute Meals. I made a couple of little changes. Not a bad recipe. Nice flavors and heck it came together in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients-
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 1/4 pounds)
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons finely chopped onions
4 teaspoons of parsley, rosemary, and thyme
8 ripe plum tomatoes cut into small cubes (or one 28-ounce can of tomatoes, drained and chopped)
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup drained capers
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste
   
Method-
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-bottom skillet. Add the chicken breasts and saute over medium-high heat, turning the pieces often until lightly browned about 5 minutes.

Add the onions and garlic around the chicken. Cook briefly; add the parsley, rosemary, and thyme, tomatoes, vinegar, capers, wine, and tomato paste. Stir to dissolve the brown particles adhering to the bottom of the skillet.

Blend well, bring to a boil, and then cover and simmer for 9 minutes.

Pasta and Zucchini Salad

I had some leftover grilled zucchini from last night's dinner. That was the starting point for this salad. I had read a recipe on the New York Times Cooking site from the cookbook "Plenty" by Yotam Ottolenghi. I used that recipe as the base. I omitted a couple of ingredients. The link above will bring you to the original recipe. Here is my take on it -

Ingredients-
Leftover grilled zucchini
1 cups basil leaves, shredded
1/4 cup parsley leaves
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
6 oz penne pasta
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp capers, drained
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 oz buffalo mazzarella, torn into chunks
Salt
Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper

Method-
Cut the leftover grilled zucchini into small cubes. Set aside.

In food processor, combine the basil, parsley and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and process until smooth. (I think this could have been completed by just chopping the herbs and mixing them with the oil, salt and pepper instead of dirtying the food processor).

Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain and rinse under cold water. Return the pasta to the pot and add the zucchini, basil sauce, lemon zest, capers, mozzarella, and vinegar. Stir together and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.

Chicken Breasts With Tomatoes and Capers

I found this recipe on the New York Times Cooking site. Super easy, quick and inexpensive.

From the New York Times, Chicken Breasts With Tomatoes and Capers

Ingredients-
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 2 1/4 pounds
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon or 2 teaspoon dried
8 ripe plum tomatoes cut into small cubes (or one 28-ounce can of tomatoes, drained and chopped)
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup drained capers
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Method-
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-bottom skillet. Add the chicken breasts and saute over medium-high heat, turning the pieces often until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the shallots and garlic around the chicken. Cook briefly; add the tarragon, tomatoes, vinegar, capers, wine and tomato paste. Stir to dissolve the brown particles adhering to the bottom of the skillet.

Blend well; bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 9 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Greek Chicken Kabobs with Eggplant Salad

 

Who likes Mondays? Well, having a dinner like we had tonight makes Mondays a bit more bearable. The Kabob recipe was from Better Home and Gardens. I marinated the chicken before I went to work. The chicken was so moist and the Cucumber sauce will be used again later in the week as a salad dressing.

My rendition of  Greek Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients-
Nonstick cooking spray
2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins or skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut lengthwise into 1-inch strips
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 6 ounce carton plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup shredded cucumber
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 Greek pita flat breads

Method-
 In a medium bowl whisk together lemon peel, the 3 tablespoons lemon juice, the oregano, oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Add chicken; toss to coat. Thread chicken and tomatoes onto six to eight long metal skewers. Place skewers in the prepared baking pan; drizzle with any remaining lemon mixture.
Grill the skewers. This is where I hand of the dinner to Chris, the grill master.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine yogurt, cucumber, the 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Remove chicken and tomatoes from skewers. To serve, spread yogurt mixture on flat breads. Top with chicken and tomatoes.

I think we may have a new favorite salad at our house. This Eggplant Salad was amazing! Eggplant Salad With Peppers, Mint and Caper-Feta Vinaigrette from The New York Times. What a perfect match with the Chicken Kabobs.

Ingredients-
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ¾ pounds eggplant (any kind, or a mixture), trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 2/3 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
1 pound mixed bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces (I would reduce the amount of peppers)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup fresh mint leaves

Method-
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.Toss eggplant with 1/3 cup vinaigrette, reserving the rest. Arrange on a baking sheet. Bake, tossing occasionally, until tender and golden around edges, about 30 minutes. Let eggplant cool somewhat. (It can be warm but not hot enough to melt feta or wilt mint.)
Whisk feta, garlic and capers into reserved vinaigrette. In a large bowl, combine eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and mint leaves. Toss with vinaigrette, and serve immediately or within several hours. (It holds up all day.)

Cacio e Pepe

I honestly did not think this was going to taste as good as it did. I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, I doubted a Mark Bittman recipe. I am sorry. What was I thinking. The recipe was from the New York Times Cooking.

Mark Bittman's Cacio e Pepe from The New York Times Cooking.

Ingredients-
Salt
1 ½ cups finely grated pecorino Romano, plus more for dusting completed dish
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon ground black pepper, plus more for finishing the dish
¾ pound tonnarelli or other long pasta like linguine or spaghetti
Good olive oil

Method-
Put a pot of salted water on to boil. In a large bowl, combine the cheeses and black pepper; mash with just enough cold water to make a thick paste. Spread the paste evenly in the bowl.

Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. The second before it is perfectly cooked (taste it frequently once it begins to soften), use tongs to quickly transfer it to the bowl, reserving a cup or so of the cooking water. Stir vigorously to coat the pasta, adding a teaspoon or two of olive oil and a bit of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce if necessary. The sauce should cling to the pasta and be creamy but not watery.

Plate and dust each dish with additional pecorino and pepper. Serve immediately.

And today is D-Day.  I hope you all take a moment to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.