White Wine and Dijon Chicken

After months of preparing the same meals week after week I am determined to be more creative in the kitchen this year! This is something that came together from what I had on hand and I really love it! I hope you do too.

White Wine and Dijon Chicken
For 2

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
• 1 large white or yellow onion, large dice
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 portobello mushroom, quartered and sliced (or an equal amount of another mushroom such as button or cremini)
• 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp chopped or 2 tsp dried oregano and/or thyme or tarragon
  
• 1/2 cup or more dry white wine
• salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  

Heat olive oil over in a large frying pan over medium heat. Don't use a nonstick pan here as you will be deglazing later. I used a stainless steel pan. Add the chicken and onion and cook until chicken is cooked and slightly browned. Add garlic, dijon, lemon juice, herbs and white wine. Stir and let it bubble and thicken, scraping up the bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy with a glass of the white wine that you used in the chicken. Try a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken and Pumpkin Lasagna

This fall I have been all about the pumpkins, and this was my favourite use: a layer of roasted chicken, kale and mornay sauce, another layer of roasted pumpkin purée and of course, cheese - bocconcini to be exact - all combined into one delicious lasagna. This dish is warm, comforting, and full of colour and flavour.

Creamy Chicken and Pumpkin Lasagna

Here is a list of all the ingredients:

• Fresh or dried pasta sheets - enough for one large pan. Follow instructions on box if you get the boil first variety.
• 1 pint of bocconcini, or more if desired, diced - you want a couple cups worth once diced
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Asiago
• 4 chicken breasts
• 8-10 one inch slices of sugar pumpkin
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 large bunch kale, any variety that you prefer
• salt and pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly chopped herbs - I used oregano and thyme
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 5 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk - I used 3%
  
  

My lasagna had three big layers: creamy chicken, pumpkin purée and bocconcini.

Pumpkin Purée:

• 8-10 one inch slices of sugar pumpkin
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
• salt and pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly chopped herbs - I used oregano and thyme
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Arrange pumpkin, onion, and garlic on a pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400◦ for about 30 minutes, or until pumpkin is soft and onions and garlic are golden brown. You will have to flip and maybe even remove the garlic and onions before the pumpkin is done to ensure they don't blacken. Let cool. Scoop pumpkin flesh from the rind and purée in food processor with the the onions and garlic, along with any juices, until smooth. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired along with any chopped herbs and the nutmeg.

Creamy Chicken:

Once you have made each component, the instructions are listed below, mix sauce, chicken and kale together. Try not to drink the sauce - it's pure Heaven.

Sauce:

I used Mario Batali's recipe for Béchamel sauce, making it a mornay sauce simply by adding some grated Asiago - about 1/2 cup. You could go with either. The recipe is here.

Roasted Chicken:

• 4 chicken breasts
• Extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Place chicken breats on a pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Roast at 400◦ for 45-50 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Let it cool and cut into cubes.

Kale:

• 1 large bunch of kale, whichever variety you prefer, cut into small pieces with thick stems removed.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in kale and blanch for about 2-5 minutes, or until kale is somewhat softened - I like mine to retain a bit of crunch. Drain and rinse with cold water.

To Assemble:

Now for the fun part! Most of your work is done by this point. Soon you will be enjoying the lovely aromas emanating from your oven.....

• A layer of pasta
• All the creamy chicken mixture
• A layer of pasta
• Most of the bocconcini - reserve about a quarter of it for the top
• A layer of pasta
• The pumpkin purée
• A layer of pasta
• Reserved bocconcini and the Asiago sprinkled on top

Place in a 375◦ oven for about 45 minutes. If top becomes too brown, cover it with foil. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving. Cut into slices and enjoy!

Wine Pairing: We enjoyed a lovely Montepulciano d'Abruzzo with this creamy lasagna.

Chicken Mirabilis

The inspiration for this dish came from a book that I was reading about Vesuvius' explosion and the fall of Pompeii. In it were many detailed dinners and feasts with Roman decadence and opulence being the main course. Chicken skewers are of course not your typical "fancy" fare; rather it is the ingredients used in the marinade that were the result of my inspiration. Honey, wine, lemon, herbs - all these ingredients, being simple alone, yet rather lavish together, bring my thoughts to the Mediterranean.

The name for this dish is inspired by the Piscina Mirabilis - the pool of miracles I believe is the translation - which is a large cistern that is the terminal outlet of the Serino aqueduct that was built during the Augustan age. I hope the flavours in this chicken are a miracle to your tongue as this feat of engineering was a miracle to the Romans!

Chicken Mirabilis

• 4 chicken breasts, skin removed and cubed
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup white wine (try a pinot grigio, trebbiano or sauvignon blanc)
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 cup mixed, chopped fresh herbs (I used oregano, rosemary, lavender and thyme), mint would also be nice
• salt and pepper

Place the chicken and all marinade ingredients in a large shallow dish so the chicken is well covered in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours or longer if time permits.

Thread the chicken cubes onto skewers. Heat your grill to medium and grill chicken skewers until golden brown and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes per side.

Wine pairing: serve with the same wine that you used to marinate the chicken with. I suggested a pinot grigio, trebianno or a sauvignon blanc, but if you can get one try a Frascati. This "golden wine" has been drunk in and around Rome for almost 2 thousand years. It comes in either dry or sweet varieties, even as a spumante. Look for a young frascati as this type of wine is not made to age.

If you would rather drink a red you may - try a light red like a dolcetto or a pinot noir.

Enjoy!

Maple BBQ Wings

One of the easiest, most economical and tastiest snacks - wings. Everyone has their favourite; whether they be dripping with sweet sauce, rubbed in spices or served suicidally hot! Now, we all know that wings are not the most low fat food (someone once told me that one deep fried wing was equivalent to the fat content of one Mars bar - not sure if that's true!), but every once in awhile it's OK to indulge and your tastebuds will rejoice!

I've opted to pick a method of cooking the wings that would remove some of the fat, rather than adding to it. The BBQ is a good choice, especially in the summer heat, plus there is hardly any mess to clean up (just the chicken bones!).

Maple BBQ Wings

• 2 lbs wings/drummies
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp maple syrup (if you don't like the taste of maple you can replace this with agave nector for a healthy choice, or sugar).
• 2 cloves crushed garlic (either buy it crushed, or use a mortar and pestle, or the back of your knife, to crush).
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• salt and pepper

Sauce

1. Combine all ingredients, except for the wings and salt and pepper, in a saucpan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste. At this point also taste to see if the balance of the ingredients tastes right - you might want more vinegar or more syrup. Let cool.
3. Store in a jar in the refridgerator for up to a week.

Wings

1. Heat your grill to medium-high heat. Season the wings with salt and pepper.
2. Grill wings, turning occasionally, until they are nicely browned and almost cooked through.
3. Place a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil on the grill and scrunch up the sides so it looks like a bowl (you want to keep the sauce from escaping!)
4. At this point you could either: a) put the wings in a metal or glass bowl (because they will still be hot do not use plastic, you do not want to ever heat plastic) , toss them with the sauce then pour it all into your foil bowl, or b) put the wings in the foil bowl, pour the sauce on and stir it around gently making sure to coat the wings well. If you use option B you can always slowly add the sauce, saving some for near the end to ensure they are really saucy!
5. Close the lid and let the wings cook for about 15-20 minutes, gently stirring/flipping the wings to ensure they are well coated and sticky.

Remove from the heat and enjoy!

p.s. I leave for Ontario this Friday to visit my family. So there will be no posts next week, but definitely the week after.

Perfect Roast Turkey

First, don't listen to this guy?! LOL

How many times have you invested your time and money into preparing a turkey only to have it turn out dry as a bone and lacking in flavour?

No more will you be plagued by dry white meat! Follow this recipe and be prepared to impress!

The lemons used in this recipe add a nice, subtle lemon flavour to the breast meat, while the herbs add a nice savoury earthiness. This dish is all about aroma and taste, all inside a magnificently crispy skin. If you like to stuff your bird with dressing, omit the lemons and stuff away! If you like the lemons you can always make your dressing on the side.


Perfect Roast Turkey

• 1 turkey
• 2 lemons, cut into quarters
• 2-3 Tbsp freshly chopped or dried herbs (adjust depending on size of bird), such as thyme or rosemary
• 1½-2 cups chicken broth and/or white wine (pick a wine you enjoy as the flavour of the wine will influence the taste of your bird, and more so the gravy you make from the pan drippings)
• Sea salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F

Rinse your bird in cold water, taking care to remove any giblets and such from the cavity. Place in roaster pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Stuff cavity with lemons quarters and truss the turkey.
Carefully separate the skin from the breast meat by working your fingers and hands gently(!) underneath the skin.
Rub the herbs, mixed with some sea salt and pepper into the breast meat (this will look and taste so beautiful!)

With a brush (or hands), coat the entire turkey with olive oil.
Place on middle rack of the oven for 20 mins.

Reduce oven to 325°F.

Roast chicken 20 mins. per pound or until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F and no more than 180°F in the thickest part of the thigh.

3-4 times, depending on length of cooking time, remove turkey from oven, brush again (not with hands this time!) with olive oil and baste with a third or a quarter (depending on length of cooking time) of the wine or chicken stock (I like to use both, the more flavour the better!).
Let turkey rest for 15 mins. before carving.

To make a fabulous sauce simply place roasting pan on the stovetop, on low heat, and deglaze* the pan by scraping up the turkey bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. If necessary, add a little cornstarch (dilute this first with a little water or stock to prevent lumping) to thicken it up and more stock to make more gravy. Drizzle over carved and plated turkey.

Now, Enjoy!

*Definition of Deglaze: To remove the remaining buts of sautéed or roasted food from a skillet or pot by adding a liquid and heating. This mixture often becomes the base for a gravy or sauce. http://foodgeeks.com/encyclopedia/44/deglaze/

p.s. Next post I will give you my grandma Noreen's recipe for sweet potato and squash bake. It's very good for you and for your taste buds! And is a perfect side dish for your upcoming Thanksgiving dinner.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

As requested: a stovetop recipe. A friend of mine teaches English in Korea and requested more stovetop recipes because they don't have ovens in Korea! Or at least, not in her apartment.

This is one of my favourites - it's quick and easy to make, but you would never think it to taste it.......



Lemon Garlic Chicken
Serves 2

• 2 chicken breasts cut into thin strips
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 lemons, use zest of one lemon and use juices of both
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsbp chopped fresh parsely
• Salt and pepper

When cooking the chicken it is best to use a flat-bottomed, stainless steel, heavy skillet, rather than a non-stick pan, with a wooden spoon to properly deglaze the pan (it will taste better this way!)

Pour olive oil into the pan and heat at medium to medium high (remember, if your olive oil smokes - turn it down! It's too high. Olive oil smokes at 325°). Add onions, let cook for a few minutes, but not until browned. Add chicken, brown. (*note: do not overload the pan, or else the chicken will not brown. Cook in batches if necessary. Divide the onion so there's some in each batch).

Once chicken is browned (if you have done multiple batches you can throw it all in the pan at this point) add the juices of both lemons, the zest, and garlic. Turn the heat down to medium–low and let it bubble. Scrape up (or deglaze) all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with your wooden spoon (this whole process takes about 3-4 mins).

Remove from heat and add a little salt and pepper and the parsley, stir. You can reserve some zest and use it as a garnish.

And that's it! Pour all the contents of the pan (make SURE you get the juices!) and serve with wedges of lemon, crusty French bread or rice.

Enjoy!!

p.s. This dish is very worthy of being served with a nice wine. Serve with a zippy Sauvignon Blanc.