Recipe Wednesday: Pan-Roasted Chicken Breast With Red Wine Vinegar, Mustard and Tarragon

We are still five months away from Valentines Day, but this recipe comes from the My Valentine's class led by Chef Joshua Simpson in February of 2009. And there's no reason you have to save a great recipe like this for Valentine's Day. Serve it this week to make your whole family feel special!

Pan-Roasted Chicken Breast
 With Red Wine Vinegar, Mustard and Tarragon

4 skin on chicken breast
Salt and pepper

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2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup chicken stock 6 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp butter softened
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp chopped tarragon
2 tsp chopped fresh chives
3 cups wild rice

Preheat oven to 325

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, and when it’s almost smoking, add the chicken breasts, skin side down. Lower the temp. Cook 6-7 minutes and turn them continue to cook until done.

When chicken is fully cooked remove and put on a platter and keep warm in the oven. Remove excess grease from the pan and add the chicken stock, add the vinegar, whisking to scrape the bottom of the pan. Let the liquid bubble briskly in the pan, whisking, until it’s reduced to about ½ cup, then whisk the butter, tarragon and mustard.

Recipe Wednesday: Pesto Alla Genovese

Today's recipe comes from our Summer Italian class with Denise Backstrom.

PESTO ALLA GENOVESE

2/3 c pine nuts

¼ c olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled & minced
2/3 c extra virgin olive oil
3 c fresh basil leaves, firmly packed
¼ c grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 lb. Pasta or gnocci

Toast nuts in 350 degree oven, about 5 min. Place nuts, garlic, ¼ c olive oil, & basil leaves in food processor or blender; process until evenly pureed, about 15 sec. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Slowly stir in cheese, salt, & 2/3 c extra virgin olive oil. Mix with hot pasta or gnocci. If pesto is to be heated, heat very gently. Makes 1 ½ c pesto, enough for lb. Pasta, cooked & drained.

Recipe Wednesday: Caprese Whole-Wheat Pizza

Caprese Whole-Wheat Pizza

Whole wheat crust
Makes 6 - 12" crusts
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp dry active yeast
1 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp dried herbs, chopped (optional)
4 cups white whole-wheat flour (King Arthur)

In a large bowl, dissolve the honey in warm water. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand for about 10 minutes until foamy.

Stir the olive oil, herbs and salt into the yeast mixture and mix in the flour until dough comes together.

Transfer the dough to a floured countertop and knead until it becomes smooth, about 4-5 minutes. If any of the dough sticks to your hands, just rub them with a little extra flour. The finished dough will be springy, elastic and sticky, not just tacky. Place dough back in an oiled bowl, cover loosely with a towel, and put in a warm place until doubled in size.

Transfer the dough to a floured countertop and cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and mold each into a ball. Cover loosely with a towel and allow the balls of dough to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Gently press the dough ball into a dish and pull the dough out to a 12-inches or so. Place the dough on a peel or the back of a sheet pan dusted with cornmeal. Add your toppings (less is more!) and slide the topped pizza onto the baking stone or baking pan. Bake until the crust is crisp and nicely colored. (12-15 minutes)

Tip--Partially bake the crust by cutting the cooking time in half. Allow the crust to cool, place a piece of wax paper between each and place in a freezer bag. As you need a crust, pull one from the freezer, allow them to thaw overnight in teh refrigerator. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and apply your favorite toppings. Place in the oven and bake until the crust is crisp and cheese is melted. Frozen crust will keep for up to 3 months.

Fresh vs Dried Herbs and Spices

Adjustable measuring spoons
make measuring spices easy.

We all know fresh is best. But what happens when your recipe calls for fresh spices and all you have on hand is dried? In most instances, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of a dried herb or spice for 1 Tablespoon of the fresh. Some recipes just aren't the same without fresh ingredients like fresh basil in a Caprese salad. But in most cases, you can easily substitute the dried version of a spice in place of the fresh. Keep in mind that dried spices tend to loose some flavor over time, so if that container has been in the cabinet for a while you might add a slight about more than the day after you bought it.

Have fresh herbs left over? Add it to a mild oil or vinegar to use as infusions for later cooking.

Recipe Wednesday: Tuscan Roasted Vegetables

Tuscan Roasted Vegetables
(Taken from our Culinary Journey: Florence class.)
 The vegetables can be prepared in advance and reheated.

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Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 large garlic cloves, crushed and minced

1 medium eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 8 wedges, each wedge cut into 3 pieces

1 large red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1 large fennel bulb, cut into 8 wedges, layers separated

2 small to medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into quarters, and then each quarter cut into 3 pieces

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Put all the vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Add thyme leaves in and drizzle olive oil over the mixture. Mix completely.

3. Arrange the mixture on two baking sheets, spreading them in an even layer. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the vegetables and place in the oven.

4. Roast vegetables for 15-20 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender when pricked with a knife.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately, or let them cool for later use.

To serve these vegetables as a salad: Cool vegetable to room temperature. Arrange some lettuce leaves on a serving dish, top with the vegetables and make a dressing by whisking together the following:

1 1/2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, scallion or chives.

Use spoon to drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and serve at once.

Recipe Wednesday: Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction

Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction


The Caprese salad is one of Italy’s most classic summer salads. Traditionally tomatoes are paired with fresh basil and mozzarella cheese. A drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, reduced down to a syrup, finishes off the refreshing starter. Some chef’s will pair the tomatoes with a variety of cheeses such as goat or feta. The choice is yours but to make it a true Caprese salad, be sure to use fresh mozzarella from the gourmet cheese stand in your local grocery store.

Serves 4

3 Ripe Tomatoes

1 Container of Fresh Mozzarella rounds or logs
12 Fresh Basil Leaves
Bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Slice the tomatoes into ¼-½ thick rounds. Slice your mozzarella the same way. De-stem your basil leaves.

Pour the balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and place on a medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-medium low. The idea is to create a syrup by evaporating the amount of water in the vinegar. This should take just a few minutes. There are sugars in the balsamic vinegar so be careful not to overcook the reduction or it will burn.

Begin plating up your salads by placing a slice of tomato on the plate and then layer with mozzarella, basil. Continue layering until there are three of everything on the plate. Finish the plate with a drizzle of Olive Oil, Balsamic Reduction, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Enjoy!

2010 Tupelo Country Club Invitational

Cooking Demonstration

Chef James Allen