Chicken Piccata; Creamed Broccoli with Parmesan

Tonight marks my first recipe for a recent online find that I'm excited about- an Ina Garten recipe group! Since my goals for this blog are to push myself with new techniques and new recipes, I joined the Barefoot Bloggers- a collection of food bloggers who try out Barefoot Contessa recipes twice a month. I'm hoping that participating in this group will get me baking more often and trying preparations that normally wouldn't be my first choice (hello, fish!).

(I'll try to make you proud, Ina)

Ironically, the first recipe that came up since I joined is one that I've already made- Ina's Chicken Piccata. Although it's not brand-new to me, it's a great method for chicken piccata... and I can never resist a chance to make a lemon-butter sauce!

(Photo courtesy of FoodNetwork.com)

With the chicken piccata, I decided to make a recipe I'd flagged in this month's Gourmet: creamed broccoli with Parmesan. I adore creamed spinach but have never had creamed broccoli! It's a simple recipe and creates a very elegant and flavorful side dish. My only change would be to decrease the amount of cream- the recipe calls for 1 cup, but I found that this made it very watery and had to drain a lot off. The next time I make this (which will probably be very soon!), I'll just use 1/2 cup.

(Photo courtesy of Gourmet
Magazine and Epicurious.com)

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli (1 1/4 pounds)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Peel broccoli stems, then coarsely chop stems and florets. Cook broccoli in boiling salted water (1 1/2 teaspoons salt for 4 quarts water) until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop cooking.

Simmer cream, garlic, nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium saucepan, uncovered, until slightly thickened and reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes.

Add broccoli and simmer, mashing with a potato masher, until coarsely mashed and heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan and lemon juice.

(So, it may look a bit like baby food,but it is DELICIOUS baby food!)

Onto the piccata! I remember from my previous try at this recipe that it is VERY lemony, something that usually works quite well for my tastes but could be too much for others. A quick browse through the recipe reviews online showed that this was a common impression (and it turns out, the amounts of lemon juice and wine are unchanged from the book version of the recipe, which serves 4 instead of 2), so I figured that the preparation wouldn't suffer if I decreased the amount of lemon juice.

Ingredients

2 split (1 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 extra-large egg (*NOTE: Ina loves her extra-large eggs, but they are impossible to find- for me, at least. Since this is only for one egg, it will be fine if you use a large egg and add a smidge more water to the egg/water mixture.)
1/2 tablespoon water
3/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
Good olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon), lemon halves reserved
1/2 cup dry white wine
Sliced lemon, for serving
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the egg and 1/2 tablespoon of water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes.

Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves and serve 1 chicken breast on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Culinary Resolutions

fSo, it's a little late (2 months, oops!) but I've seen a few lists of Culinary Resolutions making the local food blog rounds and, like that inescapable Facebook "25 Things" note, I finally couldn't resist. And since LDB celebrated its one-month birthday this past Sunday (!!), what better time to set some goals for the future?

La Dolce Bacon 2009 Culinary Resolutions:

* Make Thai food at home, to make up for the thousands of carry-out green chicken curries I've brought into the office


* Try making fresh pasta, even if it's just to give me an excuse to buy the pasta roller attachment for my Kitchen-Aid

* I've already been working on this, but one overall goal I have for this year is to make and eat more "meat secondary" dishes. I've been eating vegetarian mains much more often since I read this article, and it's nice to know that I can definitely remove meat from my meals a few times a week and be just as happy.

* Cook something with the following ingredients for the first time:
* Fennel
* Rhubarb
* Star anise (since I was gifted with a bottle for Christmas- thanks, Cat!)

* Make FISH! For a Floridian, my seafood skills are sorely lacking (except for shrimp, but that shouldn't really count) and I have never made fish at home.

* Poach an egg- it sounds easy enough when I read it in recipes, but I've never actually done it!


If you have any other suggestions that I should try this year, please let me know!

Mushroom Salad

I find that people fall into two camps on the subject of mushrooms- LOVE!, or, EW FUNGUS GET IT AWAY DON'T LET ANY OF MY FOOD TOUCH IT EWWWW!!! Since the title of this post is (imaginatively) "Mushroom Salad", I'm pretty sure you know where I stand. So... those of you in camp 2 might want to avert your eyes.

(Ahhhh!!! Fungus!!)

So, the mushroom salad. I have to admit, I kind of love The Melting Pot restaurant- yes, it's a little hokey and to quote my ex-boyfriend, "You have to cook your OWN FOOD!", but I happen to love cheese a lot, almost as much as I love dipping assorted items into cheese. Anyway- the Melting Pot does have (a few) non-fondue items on the menu, and one that I've been ordering for probably more than a decade now on my occasional visits is the mushroom salad: basically a huge plate of raw, thinly sliced white mushrooms covered with a lemony-Parmesan dressing. That's it, and yet I never thought about making it for myself.

And then this past Saturday morning, fate and the Food Network intervened. I was enjoying not having much to do, with my usual Giada/Ina lineup in the background on the tv. Then one of Giada's recipes caught my attention- mushroom salad, simply dressed with a lemon dressing and Parmesan... that sounded familiar! I added mushrooms and lemons to my list and was off to Whole Foods.

So... thankfully I decided to buy two containers of mushrooms, because I "tested" this salad for my lunch and managed to polish off an entire one by myself. It's really that good (if you're the mushroom type, of course), and take approximately thirty seconds to prepare- put sliced mushrooms in a bowl; whisk lemon juice with olive oil; top with the dressing, parsley, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. The mushrooms soak in the tangy dressing, and their flavor combines beautifully with the parsley and cheese. It's absurdly simple, but all of the components work together to produce something with a much more complicated taste.

Seriously- if you're in the "love mushrooms" camp like me, you will be SO happy to have this up your sleeve.

Ingredients

• 12 oz. large button mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, 2 Tablespoons
  
• Extra-virgin olive oil, 2 Tablespoons
  
• Fresh lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  

Method

In a medium salad bowl, mix together the mushrooms and parsley. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and lemon juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add the oil mixture to the salad bowl and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Add the Parmesan cheese and serve.

Asparagus Lasagna

Last Friday kicked off quite the weekend of cooking- I got to try out some new recipes and spend time with some of my wonderful friends and family! But after cooking three out of the past four days straight, I'm definitely ready for a breather- hence tonight's leftover spaghetti squash and tomato soup dinner. Leftovers, gotta love 'em.

But back to Friday, and the afore-mentioned new recipes. My friends Dana and Dave came over Friday to catch up, eat, and- exciting news- discuss my kitchen renovation plans!! I love my little condo, but the kitchen cabinets and counters are sadly stuck in the 80's. Hopefully with Dave's help, that will soon be an unpleasant memory and I'll have a great new kitchen.

Since I was working until 5:30 on Friday and my friends were arriving around 7:30, I had to plan my attack carefully. Thursday night, I paged through some of my go-to cookbooks and found Giada's recipe for asparagus lasagna, which sounded perfect- a classic with a twist that I could prepare right after work, then relax with my friends. I hate having friends over and then being chained to the kitchen sauteeing or assembling, so recipes which can be made ahead of time and just stuck in the oven are ideal.

(photo courtesy FoodNetwork.com...
but I promise, mine looked almost as pretty!)

This was fairly easy to assemble, and I love the idea of using a sun-dried tomato pesto instead of a typical marinara. Before making the Whole Foods run, I read some of the reader reviews for this recipe on FoodNetwork.com, which indicated that dryness could be an issue with the noodles. I decided to substitute a can of diced tomatoes for one of the two recommended sun-dried tomato jars and was really happy with the result.

The only issue I had with this recipe is that although it calls for pancetta (yay! Italian bacon!), there's no indication what to do with the pancetta once you've sauteed and drained it. Oops! As a result, my lasagna was completely assembled before I realized the omission, so I just sprinkled it on top. It ended up being fine and probably helped get the pancetta pieces a little more crispy, but I may try adding it into the filling next time. I suppose we'll never know what Giada intended!

(Poor homeless pancetta!)

(Dear Giada, where does the
pancetta go?! Love, Dana)

So aside from these small issues, the preparation for this lasagna went smoothly. The ricotta cheese filling is mixed with sauteed chopped onions and asparagus, then layered with the sun-dried tomato pesto (sorry, no pics of that... operating both a food processor and a camera strains my meager technical abilities!), noodles, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.

(asparagus filling prep)

(asparagus and onions sauteeing)

(Ooh... lasagna cross-section)

The final step is to dot the top with butter in preparation for baking, and from there I just wrapped the lasagna and let it hang out until we were ready for dinner. Happily, this was a first-time recipe that worked out beautifully- everyone loved it and impressively, the four of us were able to polish off the entire dish (and a few bottles of wine never hurt!). Maybe I'll make it next to break in my soon-to-be NEW kitchen!

(Pre-baking, assembled lasagna)

Ingredients

• 9 lasagna sheets, fresh or dried
  
• 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
• 2 (8.5 oz.) jars sun-dried tomatoes, drained (*or substitute one 12 oz. can of diced tomatoes, and their liquid)
  
• 1 1/2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus 3/4 cup
• 1/4 pound pancetta, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 (15 oz.) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta or 2 to 3 minutes for fresh pasta. Drain pasta.

In a food processor combine the sun-dried tomatoes and basil (and diced tomatoes if using). Pulse until the mixture is combined. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Set aside.

In a large skillet brown the pancetta until crisp. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, onion, and garlic and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish sprinkle some of the sun-dried tomato mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish. Place some lasagna sheets, then half asparagus mixture. Next sprinkle some mozzarella cheese and some of the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan. Continue for 1 more layer. Top with lasagna sheets, some sun-dried tomato mixture, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Add pancetta to top and dot the top with butter. Bake until the ingredients are warm and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes.

Spaghetti Squash "Cacio e Pepe"

I love all vegetables, but there are some that I REALLY love, and that favored list includes spaghetti squash. So what better to make for a lazy Saturday lunch for myself?


Spaghetti squash was a total mystery to me until this fall, when I read this recipe on the amazing blog "Always Order Dessert" written by Reamonn's friend Alejandra. When I tried it out, I couldn't believe that I'd never made spaghetti squash before- it is so easy and delicious! As I've mentioned, I adore pasta and am constantly looking out for ways to make a heaping bowl of pasta a little healthier. This, similar to the zucchini/squash pasta preparation, is the perfect way to get that "big bowl of pasta" comfort food feeling and feel a little healthier too.

I loved Alejandra's sage and brown butter preparation, but my go-to for spaghetti squash lately has been a sort of "cacio e pepe"- a play on the traditional Roman black pepper and Pecorino Romano pasta. It really couldn't be simpler- after steaming the squash, I toss the strands with olive oil, lemon juice, a little butter, salt, cracked black pepper, and lots of Parmesan cheese. It's very flexible to pantry items; if I have cream in the fridge, I'll toss in a spoon of that as well to coat the strands, and sometimes add in some chopped Italian parsley or arugula (which I had today, yum) for color and a little additional flavor. It's comforting and delicious, the perfect bowl to curl up with on the couch during a lazy hour of tv watching.

Ingredients
*1 spaghetti squash
*Good extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon
*Butter, 1 tablespoon
* Lemon juice, to taste (roughly 1/2 tablespoon)
*Grated Parmesan or Peccorino Romano cheese, 1 tablespoon
*Chopped Italian parsley or baby arugula leaves, 1 tablespoon
* salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Use a sharp knife to split the spaghetti squash in half. Place both halves face down in a roasting pan filled with about an inch of water, and cover with foil. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a fork inserted in the skin of the squash pierces it easily. Flip the squash and cook, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes.


Let cool. Use a spoon to gently scoop out the seeds from the middle of the squash. Then, use a fork to scrape the flesh of the squash away from the skin- it should pull off in thin strands, like spaghetti.


Toss the spaghetti squash with butter, olive oil, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, parsley or arugula, salt, and pepper.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love, La Dolce Bacon

Zucchini and Yogurt Farfalle

Sometimes I head home from class with an ingredient in my mind, waiting for me in the fridge for a quick preparation. Tuesday night, I had butternut squash on my mind- I'd bought a package of pre-cubed squash a few nights prior and was looking forward to my first time cooking with it. Since it had been a long day of work and class, I was picturing an Ina Garten butternut squash risotto recipe; something warm and comforting seemed just the thing for that evening.

Unfortunately, my plans hit a snag in the form of some suspicious mold on the squash. Walking the two blocks to Whole Foods was definitely not in my energy level, so I had to figure out a Plan B involving the next fresh vegetable in my fridge: two zucchini. Thankfully, I remembered a recipe that I got this summer at the U Street farmer's market and it proved to be just what I wanted after a long day.

Pasta is my ultimate comfort food, and adding zucchini to the pasta is something I love to do once I tried this recipe the first time; somehow it feels just a little bit healthier and more virtuous than a straight bowl of pasta, and it looks so pretty. Spring is unfortunately still a few weeks away here in D.C., but when I eat this, it doesn't seem quite so far away.

(leaning tower of Zucchini)

The method here couldn't be simpler- wash and grate zucchini while salted water boils for pasta, add pasta (I like farfalle or ziti with this); cook pasta for roughly 6-8 minutes until it is a little bit more than al dente (about 1-2 minutes from being perfectly cooked) and then add the zucchini to the pot; drain pasta and zucchini together; toss Greek yogurt, butter, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, nutmeg, salt, and pepper into the pot and stir together; add pasta and zucchini; toss; eat.

(that's it!)

Well, almost- I had to add a meat product, so some salami seemed just the thing. But that part is entirely optional, although I definitely think most things are better with pork products (sorry, Mom!).

I also think that this sauce is really versatile, as a nice alternative to a heavy cream or Alfredo-style sauce for pasta, and it even keeps well- just add a splash of water when reheating the pasta and sauce to bring it back to life after the microwave.


Ingredients
-Serves 1-2

* 1/2 lb. farfalle or other small pasta
* 2 medium zucchini, coarsely shredded on a grater
* 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1/2 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
* 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
* Nutmeg
* Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the farfalle until just before al dente (roughly 6-8 minutes). About 1 minute before the pasta is done, add the shredded zucchini to the pot. Cook for 1 minute more and drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water.

2. Melt the butter over low heat in the pot, then remove from heat. Stir in the Greek yogurt and Parmesan cheese, then season with the lemon juice, nutmeg, and salt and pepper.

3. Add the farfalle, zucchini, and reserved pasta water to the pot and cook over low heat, tossing until the sauce coats the pasta. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese and cracked pepper.