Christmas Break

Hi everyone! You'll be relieved to hear that the cooking has continued despite our busy lives and despite our lack of posting to the blog! Here are a few things we whipped together over Christmas break.

Emmanuel's Baked Artichoke Hearts - 4 stars

Interesting little side dish. I personally love artichokes in any shape or form, so I liked this dish. The rest of the family thought it was mostly good. We didn't use the anchovies the recipe called for, and we thought there were far too many bread crumbs. We would also recommend adding the parsley after baking; they shriveled up into little black specks. Unappetizing. Still, a 4-star dish. Check out p. 93 for the full recipe.


Orzo with Spinach and Tomato - 3 1/2 stars

Well, this certainly looked good, and we wanted to like it. But in all honesty, this was nothing to write home about. We all ate it, but the leftovers just sat in the fridge uneaten. The lemon in it was a little out of place, and there was something else odd about it that we just couldn't put a finger on. 3 1/2 stars. Page 227 in the book.


Chicken Piccata Toss - 4 1/2 stars

Well, this was very tasty! Every time I go to Monetti's, I order their Chicken Piccata. I just love the lemony yumminess, combined with the capers! So good! This wasn't quite as good as the Monetti's variety, but still very tasty. We think it needs a little more lemon flavor, maybe by adding zest? And be generous with the capers. Here's the recipe:
Chicken Piccata Toss
1 lb. penne rigate pasta, cooked al dente to package directions
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 lb. chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 T. butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium shallots, chopped
2 T flour
1/2 c white wine (or white grape juice, in our case)
juice of 1 lemon
1 c. chicken broth or stock
3 T capers, drained
1/2 c chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
chopped or snipped chives, for garnish
Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 T olive oil and the chicken to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, and brown until lightly golden all over, about 5-6 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set it in your serving dish while you complete the sauce. Return the skillet to the heat, reduced to medium. To the skillet, add another tablespoon olive oil, 1 T butter, the garlic and the shallots and saute, 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in wine and reduce liquid, 1 minute. Whisk lemon juice and broth into sauce. Stir in capers and parsley. When sauce comes to a bubble, add remaining tablespoon butter to give it a little shine. Put chicken back in the pan an heat through a minute or two. Toss hot pasta with chicken and sauce. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Top with fresh snipped chives and serve. Makes 4 servings.