Chicken Francaise

One of the good things about working from home is that I get to turn on the TV in the background for some noise.

It's amazing that I can start watching General Hospital again after after all these years, and Luke and Laura are still on there!  Man, things haven't changed much.  Or have they?

One good thing I found this summer was a wonderful show called "The Chew".  Have you heard of it?  It's a talk show/food show and it's fabulous! Plus Mario Batali and Michael Symon are both on it.  Iron chefs galore!  

So one day I was working with The Chew on in the background and I heard Michael talk about an easy chicken dish that I hadn't seen done in a long time, Chicken Francaise.  So I quickly went over to the TV and watched him try to beat the clock and complete this dish!  What got me was the method.  You actually dredge the chicken in flour and then dip it in egg and then pan fry it.  That is unusual.  Most breaded or battered chicken is flour - egg - flour (or bread crumbs).  I new right there I had to make this.

And I did!  This turned out so scrumptious!  Just look at this dish.  Big pounded pieces of chicken came out golden brown and fluffy, and then to put icing on the cake you make a wonderful lemon, wine, parsley sauce to pour over the chicken. I bought chicken that were pounded thin and sold for Milanese.  Served with some lemon rice, or cilantro rice is the perfect compliment.

Just HEAVEN!  Thank you Michael Symon.  I'm so glad I started watching the show.

Hopefully you will be inspired by this dish as well.  Here's the recipe:

Chicken Francaise

adapted from Michael Symon - from "The Chew"

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Flour for dredging

Salt and Pepper to taste

3 Chicken Breasts (boneless skinless; pounded to 1/4-inch)

2 Eggs plus 2 tablespoons Water (whisked)

2 Garlic cloves minced

1/2 cup White Wine

1/2 cup Chicken Stock

1 Lemon (zest and juice)

6 tablespoons Parsley (roughly chopped)

3 tablespoons Butter

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. 

Season the flour with a generous amount of salt and pepper and whisk together in a baking dish. Lightly coat the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour and then dip in the egg wash. Gently place in the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Flip the breast and fry for another 2 minutes until golden. 

Add the garlic to the pan and cook for about 20 seconds. Deglaze with the wine, scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon. Stir in the broth, and lemon juice and allow to reduce for 1 to 2 minutes. 

Add the lemon zest, parsley and butter and swirl to emulsify. Plate the chicken with the sauce and serve.

 

Braciole - Tour of Roman Food

Ready to continue on our tour of Roman food?

Me too!

The other day I took an excellent class at Williams-Sonoma where we are touring Italy.  First stop was Rome.  We had a feast, I tell you.  I felt like an Italian mama cooking in a rustic kitchen for an large family gathering.  It was wonderful!  The class was hands-on so we really made our own meals.  This is such a great way to learn as you go.  So make sure to check out the schedule of classes for your local Willimas-Sonoma to see if they offer these wonderful classes.


Several days ago I brought you an excellent pasta, Bucatini all' Amatriciana.  Wow! that is some tasty pasta.  Today we are exploring another secondi, or main dish which is Braciole.  Pronounced (bra zhul).  Braciole are rolled slices of beef or veal that are filled with a savory stuffing and slowly simmered in a tasty tomato sauce.  Usually using a less than tender cut of meat that turns out fork tender when it's done.   

We used skirt steak as our meat, however flank, or top round would be a good choice as well.  I will tell you this dish is a little more involved with the preparation of the meat.  You add the stuffing and roll it all up, followed by tieing the meat to hold the stuffing in.  Once that is done you are almost there.  A little browning and sauteing and then adding the ingredients for the sauce and the rest is done with little attention from you.  The meat will braise in this wonderful sauce and become succulent and tender! Oh my, I'm getting hungry thinking about it. 

We ate this with a side of our Bucatini all' Amatriciana.  The meal was perfect, the beef was tender and full of flavor.  The filling...heaven.  You have to try this.  It's well worth the effort.

Braciole

serves 4

1 lb. skirt steak, top round, or flank steak, cut across the width into 4 slices

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 

4 slices prosciutto 

4-8 slices of provolone cheese 

2 Tbs. pine nuts 

2 Tbs. raisins 

1 garlic clove, minced 

1/4 cup olive oil 

1 yellow onion, chopped 

1 cup dry red wine such as Barolo 

1 cup beef broth 

4 large fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or 1 can (15 oz.) chopped plum tomatoes with juices

1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 

3 or 4 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces 

One at a time, place the beef slices between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound gently with a meat pounder until 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle the pounded slices on both sides with salt and pepper. Lay prosciutto and cheese on each beef slice. Sprinkle the slices evenly with the pine nuts, raisins and garlic. Roll up the slices, tucking in the ends, then tie the rolls at 1-inch intervals with kitchen string.

In a chef pan or dutch oven, over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the beef rolls and cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides, about 15 minutes total. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes longer. Pour in the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the pan bottom, about 2 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, turning the rolls occasionally, until the beef is tender when pierced with a knife,  about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check from time to time to see if the sauce is becoming too dry and add water if needed.

Uncover, scatter the parsley and basil evenly over the rolls, and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer the rolls to a cutting board and cut into thick slices, removing and discarding the kitchen string. Transfer the slices to warmed plates, spoon the sauce over the top and serve immediately. 

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Italian by Michele Scicolone (Oxmoor House, 2007).

Red Wine and Rosemary Flat Iron Steak

 Company's coming!

One of my favorite dishes to make when company comes for dinner is something simple, yet elegant and tasty.  Meat and potatoes are called for! What's more hearty than that?

This dish is a favorite of ours and you can certainly swap out the Flat Iron Steak for another cut.  It's a versatile recipe and the flavor is all in the marinade.  What a great marinade it is.

Red wine and rosemary go so well together and really flavor the steak for grilling.  I used an indoor grill as we haven't broke out the grill outside yet.  It's calling me though.  But for now my trusty cast iron indoor grill works miracles!

I served these with Lemon Rosemary Roasted Vegetables.  Another easy dish to make, allowing you more time to spend with guests. Look for the recipe shortly.

All in all this is the perfect company food or family dinner.  You just can't beat meat and potatoes!
  
Red Wine and Rosemary Flat Iron Steak 

serves 4

2 (1-pound each) flat-iron steaks cut into 4 pieces
2 garlic cloves, mashed
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup of dry red wine
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

In a bowl, combine garlic, parsley, mustard, olive oil, red wine, black pepper, and rosemary; mix together well.

In a shallow baking dish, season the steaks moderately with salt and pepper. Cover the steaks with the marinade mixture and cover the dish with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight. Remove steak from refrigerator and bring to room temperature before cooking.

Preheat the grill over medium heat. Place steaks onto the hot grill and grill to the desired degree of doneness, about 6 – 7 minutes on each side for medium.