Creamy Tuscan Chicken

I love visiting Tuscany! It truly is a magical land that sings to your soul. One of my lucky daughters lived in Florence for two years! I am sure she would be happy to stay there forever!

In those two years, I studied everything about the cuisine to soothe my loneliness. Very simple farm to table faire. So when I came across this recipe for "Creamy Tuscan Chicken," I was intrigued. This recipe is not a Tuscan recipe, rather an Italian-American creation inspired by Olive Garden and Catherine de' Medici. Catherine, from Florence, married King Henry II  in 1547. When she moved to France, she brought her chefs with her and her love of spinach. However, that is just speculation.

This delicious recipe is a weekday staple in my house due to the convenience of one pan cooking. I have successfully halved this recipe, and I am sure it could even be doubled for a larger crowd. You would have to use two pans though. Serve it with a salad, Chianti, and a warm baguette for a cozy dinner. Mangia! 

Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, gently pounded to approximately the same thickness

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3 Tablespoon butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

3 cups baby spinach, stems removed

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

In a skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper and oregano. Cook until golden and no longer pink, approximately 5 minutes a side. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, approximately 1 minute. Add the cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until beginning to burst. Add the spinach and cook until wilted.

Add the cream and parmesan and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet and cook until heated through, 5-7 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges. 

Savor the best of summer!

With autumn quickly arriving, I had to post this delicious and stunning recipe for Arugula, Peach and Piquillo Pepper Salad with Goat Cheese. Sliced peaches, strips of ruby red piquillo peppers, diced red onion, crumbled goat cheese all tossed with peppery arugula and creamy balsamic dressing. This beautiful salad shows that things that grow together go together. I found this dead simple recipe from forageddish.com. Go buy some peaches!

Arugula, Peach and Piquillo Pepper Salad with Goat Cheese

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound baby arugula

2 ripe peaches, sliced thin

1/2 cup roasted piquillo peppers, diced (I like strips better. I buy Roland brand piquillo peppers that are sold in cans.)

1/3 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced

Creamy Balsamic Dressing (I use Briannas brand Creamy Balsamic Dressing.)

Directions:

In a large salad bowl, combine arugula, sliced peaches, peppers, and onion. Sprinkle goat cheese over top. 

Just before serving, drizzle with balsamic dressing to taste.

Yum!

*Tips: Use a melon baller to remove the discolored area around the pit of the peaches, for aesthetics! If you haven't tried piquillo peppers before, they are not hot, more fruity. Don't be afraid!

Macque Choux! Gesundheit!

While I've been trying to get over a nasty chest cold, I still found the energy to utilize fresh Hatch chiles (see Roasted with Love-Hoarded with Passion and The Great Green Chile Quest), this time in Macque Choux! Macque choux, pronounced "mock shoe," is a corn-based side dish traditional to southern Louisiana. The origins of this Cajun specialty are a bit unknown; however, it appears that the dish was embraced by the Acadians (French immigrants from eastern Canada) who, after being moved out by the British, settled in Louisiana and learned it from the local Native Americans. There are a plethora of recipes for macque choux, but all contain corn, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, herbs, spices, and usually some Tasso ham. 

This recipe for "Hatch Chile Macque Choux" is yet again another version I'd never seen before, so I had to try it! It utilizes fresh Hatch chiles (which hopefully you have all ready to go in your freezer), bacon, a little lager, NO tomatoes (gasp!), and enriched with heavy cream. I served it with some seared scallops and a garnish of fresh chives. Very pretty! However, this fiery version (which really helped open my sinuses) really over-powered the delicate flavor of the scallops. Shrimp, crawfish, chicken, and some potatoes can be added to create a "main meal." If you prefer not to use the green chiles, substitute tomatoes for a more authentic dish. Any leftover macque choux makes a welcome addition to cornbread!

Hatch Chile Macque Choux

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, chopped

3/4 cup red bell pepper, diced (if using tomatoes instead of green chile, substitute a green bell pepper instead...to keep the colors pretty!)
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup lager

4 cups corn (preferably freshly cut from 3 or 4 ears of corn, see Techniques)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup Hatch chiles, roasted, peeled, deseeded, and sliced (optional, can be replaced with diced tomatoes)

Directions:

Saute bacon over medium heat until crisp and set aside. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Add the red bell pepper and onion to the pan. Cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the lager and deglaze by stirring and scraping all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until the lager is nearly evaporated. Add corn, cream, and Tabasco. (If using tomatoes instead of chiles, add them here.) Bring to a simmer and cook until cream is thick enough to leave a trail on the back of a spoon. Add the bacon back in. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove from the heat and stir in the Hatch chiles, if using.

Recipe courtesy of Central Market.