Shallot Chicken

The closest I'll probably ever get to him is by making his personal favorite dishes.  Perhaps my conniving hope is that somehow by cooking his meals he will accidentally fall upon a link that brings him to my blog.  He will be swept off his feat (not sure by what exactly yet), and immediately send 'his people' to locate me and bring me to him. He'll ask me to whip up a meal alongside him, bumping elbows in the extra-large kitchen (but I'm sure we'll both want the blender at the exact same time.)  He'll playfully put flour on my nose, I'll pull out my camera and take these exotic photos of him posing with the butternut squash and before you know it we'll be seated at a candlelit table feasting on an appetizer of cranberry feta pinwheels, to be followed with shallot chicken, and finished off with feeding each other buttermilk and honey sorbet - clinking our coffee cups.


But for now I must keep sweating over these hot coals, tirelessly exploring one recipe after another until he finds me, and smiles, and says, "Well done my child, well done." 


Ingredients:

• 8 chicken thighs
• flour
• 3 T safflower oil
• 2 cups sliced shallots
• 2 cups white wine
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 1 cup rich chicken broth
• 1 q cherry tomatoes halved
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 T dried Basil

Here is where I needed to deviate some, for various reasons-certainly not to improve upon the recipe because there is no such thing with Andrew's recipes.  Andrew asked for 4 cups whole peeled shallots - no mention of slicing.  I opted for 2 cups, sliced.  Andrew requested 2 cups chicken broth, I used 1 cup otherwise my pan would have overflowed.  I did not have tarragon on hand ( his recipe asks for 6 tarragons tied together) so I used basil instead.  I also did not have cherry tomatoes so I chopped up some whole tomatoes in place.  Lastly I used lime juice in place of the lemon juice because I had margarita's last night.


Does this make it mine own recipe?  I suppose I could argue it does, but I'd much rather share the creation with Andrew.  After all, he inspired me.   


The result ... honestly ... it is my absolute 100% incurable favorite chicken recipe of all time and will definitely be my go-to dish if ever I decide I need to get some one's attention.  Which causes me to pause ... and wonder if Andrew would like to come to dinner ...


Back to the recipe ...


Instructions:

Season chicken with salt & pepper and dredge in flour.  Place in oil in a large wide pot over medium heat.  When very hot add thighs, skin side down.  Brown well on both sides.  Remove chicken to plate and add shallots and basil to oil in pot.  Stir, until shallots start to caramelize.  Add wine, cook, boiling for 3 minutes, add mustard, broth, and chicken and cover.  Lower heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes.  Remove lid and at a strong simmer cook until liquid is at sauce consistency.  Add tomatoes and cook for 3 more minutes. Season with salt & pepper.  Drizzle in 1/4 cup lemon juice, heat 30 seconds.  Serve garnishing with minced basil or tarragon.

                                                                            flour and fry

                                                                            fry it pretty

                                                                    caramelize shallots

                                                              add wine, drink the rest   

                                                                  adding chicken, broth

                                                               thicken, good lookin'

                                                   tomatoes and lemon juice for a bit of tang   

                                   We'll share a fork, Andy.  You don't mind if I call you that, do you?

Inspired, encouraged, and enticed, by Andrew Zimmern.

mel

                                                                                                                 

                                                              

Chicken Pesto Toasties

I totally got in to this.  Making my own pesto.  Roasting my own chicken.  Heck, I almost made my own bread! Growing up I made several loaves of bread every Saturday morning.  It was one of my household chores.  Feeding a crew of 8, the bread never lasted very long.  There is little that compares to freshly baked bread, pulled from the oven, sliced thick and slathered in butter - accompanied by a cup of tea.  I'm drifting away a little here in my memories, so lets come back ...

Pesto:


Mix the following in a food processor or
Magic Bullet:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, pack 'em in                                                                 
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts, or walnuts - minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste

This will yield 1 cup
Adjust the above to your liking in any way you like.  It's your pesto!




Directions:

In a bowl, add 4 chicken breasts - cooked and shredded, or chopped.
Add 1/2 cup pesto
Add 4 Tbsp. light mayo or salad dressing
pepper to taste

Spread Italian bread with butter and cook both sides, in a frying pan, until golden.
Top with chicken mixture, spinach leaves, and sliced Roma tomatoes.

                                                                   

                                                                             

                                                                           

                                                                         



Wine Paring:

American Chardonnay                                                        
Pinot Grigio
Sauvignon Blanc

Mel