The Splendid Table: Weeknight Kitchen: Sicilian Pan-Roasted Chicken
Breasts
April 28, 2010
Dear Friends,
Forking up bites of chicken and running them through this tomato essence
is my idea of Southern Italian home food. And time is on our side here
because from start to finish, the chicken takes maybe 20 minutes.
You could certainly double up on the recipe so you have another batch
ready to reheat later in the week. Sautéed polenta, or beans braised with
greens, or a salad of orange wedges, shaved onion, and tart greens would
each be good with the chicken.
Sicilian Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts
Serves 4
Cook to Cook: Every recipe we do has a subtext and it is this: Please use
organic ingredients if possible. There is a difference in quality, and if
raised as they should be, they are better for the planet.
* Good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
* Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
* Generous pinch red pepper flakes
* 4 big cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
* 1 small to medium red onion, thin sliced
* 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
* 6 pitted Kalamata black olives, coarse chopped
* 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
* One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, partially drained
* 10 fresh basil leaves, torn
1. Film a 12-inch straight-sided, heavy sauté pan with olive oil then heat
over medium-high. Slip the chicken into pan (don't let pieces touch) and
sprinkle with salt and the two peppers. Quickly sear on both sides until
lightly browned (about 1 minute per side).
2. With a flat ended wood spatula, stir in the garlic, onion, oregano,
olives, and wine, if using. Reduce heat so pan liquid barely bubbles.
Cover tightly. Cook 12 minutes (turning chicken once), or until chicken is
firm when pressed. Remove chicken to a plate to rest for 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high. Simmer down pan juices, stirring, for
30 seconds, or until syrupy. Blend in tomatoes. Boil rapidly to thicken
the sauce. Taste for seasoning, then stir in basil. To serve, spread a
little of the sauce in the center of individual dinner plates. Top with
chicken and spoon the rest of the sauce over them.
LYNNE'S TIPS
• The key to tender, juicy, lean cuts like chicken breasts is a fast
high-heat sear to lightly brown both sides. This gives us that satisfying
taste of caramelization. Then you do the real cooking very slowly over low
heat. This keeps lean cuts like chicken breasts juicy. The last all
important step is to let them rest at room temperature 8 to 10 minutes.
This assures you lots of juice and tenderness.
• Use good-tasting, organic canned tomatoes packed in juice (not puree),
such as Muir Glen. You don't want puree because often low grade tomato
paste is used to thicken purees, which can ruin your cooking with nasty
metallic flavors.
THOUGHTS FROM LYNNE
My associate in food work and pal, Judy Graham, just finished reading Hay
Fever: How Chasing a Dream on a Vermont Farm Changed My Life by Angela
Miller. Here is what is what she has to say about the book.
"This is a memoir about buying a goat farm in Vermont, restoring its
nineteenth-century house and launching an artisanal cheese-making
business. What makes the story especially interesting is that Miller did
all this while engaged in a high-powered career as a Manhattan-based
literary agent. For anyone with a fantasy of trading in the urban race of
the rats for life on a pastoral farm, it is an enlightening read."
Here is the recipe for a simple fresh cheese you can make not only from
goat's milk but cow's milk straight from the supermarket.
Spicy Fresh Queso Blanco
Reprinted with permission from Hay Fever: How Chasing a Dream on a Vermont
Farm Changed My Life by Angela Miller with Ralph Gardner, Jr. (John Wiley
and Sons, Inc., 2010). Copyright © 2010 by Angela Miller and Ralph
Gardner, Jr.
Makes approximately one 8-ounce cup
My first attempt at making cheese at home was this simple Mexican-style
queso blanco, which is similar in texture to farmers' cheese. I leave the
more sophisticated cheeses to our professional cheese makers and still
make this one on my own.
There are no tricks to making this cheese. All you do is bring the milk
just to its boiling point, then add acid in the form of vinegar or citrus
juice. Use a thermometer to make sure the milk reaches the correct
temperature.
You can flavor the cheese in innumerable ways. I like to give it some kick
with chiles or dried red pepper flakes, which I always seem to have in the
house, and sun-dried tomatoes for richness.
The mild, soft cheese absorbs flavor easily while marinating and becomes
delicious.
Serve crumbled on salad greens — just add vinegar or a light, tart
dressing.
* 2 quarts raw goat's milk (or any milk, including store-bought cow's
milk)
* 1/4 cup acid (white vinegar or citrus juice such as lemon or lime)
* Salt to taste
* 1 cup olive oil
* 2 tablespoons slivered sun-dried tomatoes
* 1 tablespoon seeded, chopped jalapeños or red pepper flakes
(optional)
1. In a medium pot, heat the milk over medium heat to just below boiling —
about 185 degrees F. Remove from the heat and add the acid slowly,
stirring constantly. The curds and whey will start to separate right away.
2. Line a strainer or colander with cheesecloth. When the curds are fully
separated, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in the
strainer.
3. Tie the ends of the cheesecloth together and hang it to drain over the
sink faucet for at least two hours or overnight. (You can also tie the
cheesecloth around a heavy wooden spoon, then hang the spoon over the
edges of a pot to allow the cheese to drain into the pot.) Make sure that
it is no longer dripping whey.
4. When the cheese is dry, cut it into cubes.
5. Put the cheese into a small bowl, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat.
Add the olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, and jalapeño or red pepper flakes
and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Cheese will
keep in the refrigerator in a covered container about four days.
Have a great week,
Lynne
Copyright 2010, Lynne Rossetto Kasper.
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