I found this recipe in the January issue of Gourmet (in the quick meals section, which I love!) and it’s a great alternative to fried chicken! The polenta crust has a hearty flavor you don’t get with regular breadcrumb versions and also doesn’t feel as heavy (I only used the egg whites to coat the chicken breasts instead of the whole egg). The wilted escarole is a really great preparation versus just having it as a cold salad. I made buttermilk mashed potatoes for the side and all in all was really impressed! A full meal, quick and easy! This is definitely going into dinner rotation.
Polenta-Crusted Chicken with Balsamic Caper Pan Sauce
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thick between sheets of plastic wrap
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound escarole, torn into bite-size pieces
Preparation
Lightly beat eggs with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Whisk together polenta, flour, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in another shallow bowl.
Dip chicken in egg, letting excess drip off, then dredge in polenta mixture.
Heat vegetable oil and 1/3 cup olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until oil shimmers. Cook chicken in batches, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered.
Pour off oil and wipe skillet, then heat remaining 2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, water, capers, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and briskly simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and swirl in butter.
Toss escarole with about half of sauce and pile on top of chicken. Serve remaining sauce on the side.
I picked up our first Winter share on Saturday and included in the share was a package of lamb cubes from Steve MacDonald in Swedesboro, NJ. R hates lamb meat so I knew I was going to be alone on this adventure and decided to make it tonight in this Moroccan-sorta recipe I found in Gourmet. I have been rather dismissive of lamb meat in the past, sharing my husband’s opinion that it is too fatty. But lately I have had lamb a couple times while eating out (at Tinto for our anniversary most notably!) and after making it tonight, I’m a convert. What have I been thinking?! This meal is SO tasty and spicy, and check out those colors! Orange!
Il Vino d’Enrico Bernardo, a wine-centric Paris restaurant, features a delicious dish of lamb chops, carrots, and chickpeas with North African spices and black truffles. Skipping the truffles makes it more everyday, but it’s still wonderful.
For lamb chops and carrots
1/4cupolive oil
1teaspoonground allspice
1/2teaspooncinnamon
1/4teaspooncayenne
6medium carrots, halved crosswise and quartered lengthwise
8 to 12rib lamb chops (1/4 to 1/2 inch thick; 1 1/2 lb total)
For chickpea purée
1small garlic clove
1cupcanned chickpeas, rinsed
1/3cupwarm water
1/4teaspoonground cumin
1tablespoonolive oil
Roast lamb chops and carrots:
Put a 4-sided sheet pan in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.
Whisk together oil, spices, and 1 tsp salt. Toss carrots with half of spiced oil and coat chops with remaining oil. Arrange chops and carrots side by side in hot sheet pan. Roast, turning and stirring halfway through, until carrots are just tender and chops are medium-rare, 4 to 6 minutes total for lamb; 10 to 15 for carrots.
Meanwhile, make chickpea purée:
With food processor running, drop garlic through feed tube to finely chop. Add chickpeas, water, cumin, and 1/4 tsp salt and purée. With motor running, slowly add oil and blend until smooth.
Serve lamb and carrots on a bed of chickpea purée. Drizzle with pan juices.
This holiday season has been a tight one, budget-wise. So I decided I would make baskets of goodies for our families and forego actual shopping. Though after all was said and done (packaging, ingredients and shipping), it would have been cheaper to have just bought gift certificates and been done with it. BUT not as personal, nor special. I tried to make it somewhat local and bought some chocolate pretzels (I mean you don’t get much more Philly than pretzels, right?), local honey from Greensgrow’s Kensington Christmas Market and some beautifully packaged teas from Jennie of the “Straight from the Farm” blog here in Philly. At the Plaid Pony Vintage open house a few weeks ago, I found some rad vintage dairy “Purvin” jars with milk glass of various colors! and used them for packaging my caramels.
I made this last week and didn’t have time to post about it then but wanted to share it since it’s a perfect cold night, quick dinner (especially when you’re busy with holiday preparations!).
I adapted the recipe from the “Autumn Minestrone” from the Moosewood Collective, instead of potatoes I added pesto ravioli and a can of chopped tomatoes. It was really tasty and nourishing after a week of running around getting stuff ready for the holidays! Best part, there were plenty of leftovers to heat up for the next few nights, wink wink.
Autumn Minestrone
(adapted from Epicurious and The Moosewood Collective)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 1/2 cups peeled and cubed winter squash* (I used Butternut Squash)
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 cup peeled and diced carrots
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 cups water
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 cup cooked ravioli (or pasta) – I used Trader Joe’s Pesto Ravioli
*We recommend a firm, rich winter squash, such as acorn, delicata, or buttercup.
Preparation
Warm the oil in a large soup pot on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the squash, celery, carrots, potatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, and water and cook for 10 minutes or until the squash is almost done. Add the tomatoes, ravioli, kale and beans and simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the kale is tender and the beans are hot.
I know it’s been forever since I posted and I’m sorry I have abandoned you! But I promise I’m doing a ton of stuff, making and baking, and will post soon enough!
