Used my herb butter to make myself a little brunch - nothing new here, I've written this before - egg over-easy on toast (cooked the egg in a little herb butter, put a little on the toast) with chopped arugula and scallions. Salt and pepper. Glass of champagne. Delicious. Aaaah, Sunday morning. Love it. With that reinforcement, I can now head out for groceries and back here to prepare some version of chicken & rice for dinner. Sort of Saltimbocca-ish, with crispy prosciutto and sage? Hmmm...that sounds good. Or with a Marsala pan sauce? (That's John's true fav.) I could be in the mood for a Piccata-like dish, do a lemon and caper sauce. But I doubt the kids would dig that. And I can't blame them, I don't think I was a big caper fan when I was a kid either, ha. I think I may go the prosciutto/sage route, with a RED wine pan sauce, oooh, yeah, a nice Pinot, have the rest of the bottle with our dinner. That's it. OK, with that settled,
I'm off, out into the snow! Almost odd to see snow, since it's been so warm for so many days. But it's good to see. It's still January - when the weather doesn't act its age, I get all out-of-sorts.Well, I did indeed go with the Saltimbocca-like chicken, quite tasty, if I do say so myself (recipe posted in comments, below). I honestly didn't feel much like pinning prosciutto and sage leaves onto pounded chicken breasts with toothpicks. So I didn't. I did pound the chicken breasts flat, and dredge them in flour, and saute them quickly in olive oil. THEN I sauteed, separately, the prosciutto and sage leaves, until both were crispy. Took them out of the pan, then added and reduced chicken broth and wine (the Pinot), and whisked in some butter to finish the sauce. Served the chicken on top of sauteed spinach and caramelized onions (recipe in comments), with rice on the side. The only problem with making chicken & rice for John is that he eats WAY too much of it, and regrets it, and moans the rest of the night. Other than that, it worked out well. Nathan, and visiting
friends Oliver (also 9) and Benjamin (8), happily ate lots of chicken & rice. And Oliver and Benjamin's mom, Bridget, and my sister Stacey, were happy to have the spinach, along with everything else (unlike the boys, ha). So a great night, the boys had a blast playing outside on the hockey rink, no skates needed, just running around in the snow. Nice way to end the weekend! (And here's a picture of Baby Boom Boom, already adorable, I can just tell...)And P.S., Andrew, we all really miss you. You left us all too soon. Damn you. Every time I cook something over-the-top, I think of you.
Andrew Cohen (toasting us at our wedding), March 3, 1958 to January 27, 2003.
posted by Stephanie @ 12:32 PM
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Chicken with Crispy Prosciutto and Sage
Serves 4
Delicious with sautéed spinach.
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (usually around 1 lb.)
All-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3-4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped coarsely
8 fresh sage leaves
4 Tbsp. olive oil (or as needed)
¼ c. red or white wine (I open a bottle that I know I’ll like with the meal, and use that)
1 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper
With a meat tenderizer/hammer, pound each chicken breast to evenly ¼ inch thin. If there are tenderloin pieces attached to the chicken breasts, set those aside (they’re often thin enough as is and don’t need to be pounded). Cut each flattened chicken breast into 3 equal pieces. Lightly salt each piece of chicken. Place flour in a large Ziploc bag. A couple of pieces at a time, add chicken to the bag, seal, and shake until chicken is evenly coated with flour. Lay the floured pieces out on a baking sheet and continue until all the breast and tenderloin pieces are coated. Set aside.
Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto and sage leaves and sauté until both are crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.
Add more olive oil to coat the pan and sauté the chicken breasts, a couple at a time (so they’re not crowded in the pan), until lightly golden. (One trick for not overcooking them is to cook briefly on one side, flip, and brown until golden on the second side. Serve browned side up.) Remove browned chicken from the pan and set aside on a platter as you go. Add more oil to the pan if necessary until all pieces are browned. Set the platter in a warm (lowest heat) oven.
Pour off the oil from the pan and return it to the heat. Add wine, stirring up any crispy bits attached to the bottom of the pan. Then stir in the chicken broth, and simmer until the sauce is reduced and starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste (taste the sauce before you add salt; depending on the chicken broth and butter you use, it could already be salty enough).
Serve chicken immediately, topped with a sprinkling of crispy prosciutto and sage leaves and a spoonful of pan sauce.
Sauteed Spinach with Caramelized Onions
Serves 4
3 Tbsp. olive oil
½ of a large onion, sliced thinly
1 1-lb. bag of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
freshly ground nutmeg
salt and freshly ground pepper
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion slices, sprinkle with salt, and stir to coat. Saute until onions start to wilt, about 5 minutes. Add a couple tablespoons of water, cover the pan, turn heat to low, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally and adding a little more water to the pan each time, until onions are very soft and brown, about 20 minutes. Add spinach to the pan and sauté, until spinach is heated through and no longer wet. Grate a bit of nutmeg over the spinach. Season with salt and pepper.
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