Chicken with Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce

 I have to say that I was more than pleasantly surprised by this dish.  It had the most mushrooms I think I have ever purchased at one time and was worth every single fungus!  I loved it!

Ingredients:

• Salt & Pepper
• 8 oz. Orzo Pasta
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 4 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 12 Cremini or Baby Portobello Mushrooms, sliced
• 12 Shiitake Mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
• 12 White Mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves of Garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme leaves, chopped
• 2 large Shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 ½ Cup Chicken Stock
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream or Half-n-Half
• ¼ Cup chopped Flat Leaf Parsley (Italian Parsley)

Source: www.foodnetwork.com

Preparation:

            First, heat a large pot of salted water to boil and add the Orzo Pasta.  Cook the Pasta until al dente.

            Next, preheat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the Olive Oil.  Season the Chicken Breasts liberally with Salt and Pepper and add to the preheated skillet.  Cook the Chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side.  Remove the Chicken from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

            Return the skillet to the stove and reduce the heat to medium.  Add the Butter and melt.  Once the Butter is melted, add the ‘Shrooms and brown, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes.  Now season the ‘Shrooms with Salt and Pepper and then add the Garlic, Thyme and Shallots.  Cook, stirring occasionally for around 2 minutes or until the Shallots are wilted.  Sprinkle the flour into the pan, stir, and cook 2 minutes more.  Whisk in the Chicken Stock, Balsamic Vinegar, and Cream.  Turn the heat to high and simmer for 2 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened.

                 

                        So good!  Any chance to use Orzo and I'm down.  Hopefully you enjoy this as much as I did!  P.S. - another freezer ready dish. :)

Balsamic and Wine Glazed Steak plus the Best Green Beans Ever!

Balsamic and Wine Glazed Steak

On my continual quest to incorporate mushrooms into my cooking, I stumbled upon this recipe.  I mean steak, balsamic vinegar, and wine – how can this be wrong?

Ingredients:

• 2 Teaspoons Cooking Oil
• 1 Pound boneless Beef Top Loin or Top Sirloin Steak, cut into ½ - ¾ inch thick strips
• 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/8 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• ¾ Cup dry Red Wine
• 2 Cups sliced, fresh Mushrooms
• 3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 4 Teaspoons Honey
• 2 Tablespoons Butter

Source: Better Homes & Gardens

Preparation:

            In a large skillet, heat Oil over medium-high heat.  Add the Steak strips and reduce the heat until medium.  Cook for 10-13 minutes, or until the Steak reaches desired done-ness, turning meat occasionally.  Once cooked, transfer the Steak to a platter and keep warm.

            Next add the Garlic and Red Pepper to the skillet and cook for 10 seconds and remove skillet from heat.

            Carefully add the Red Wine, return skillet to the heat and boil for 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Now add the Mushrooms, Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Honey and return mixture to a simmer.  Cook for 4 minutes or until the Mushrooms are tender.  Lastly stir the Butter into the skillet until melted.  Spoon the Sauce over the Steak.  Oh-so-yummy – this dish is hearty with a slight tanginess that is simple, elegant and delicious to boot!

Best Green Beans Ever

So this recipe is courtesy of Aquaman’s mother and I could not be more thankful!  I request it at every holiday and could eat it everyday without fail.  Try it and see if you don’t agree…

Ingredients:

1 Pound Green Beans, ends snapped off, washed and drained

1 Onion, chopped

3 ½ Tablespoons Bacon Pieces

1-2 Tablespoons Liquid Smoke – mesquite variety

Preparation:

            First, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the Green Beans and boil until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

            Drain the Beans and return to the same pot.  Toss in the Onion, Bacon and Liquid Smoke.  Stir to combine and this side is ready to serve. 

I love the smoky flavor and crunchiness of the Onion.  This dish is almost too good to be true.

Beef Stroganoff

What’s for dinner?  Beef!  I have to admit that in attempting this recipe I was a little nervous.  I have a bias against sweet meat.  Strange, I know, but I feel meat should taste like meat.  Baby steps, people, baby steps.  I’ve had almost 30 years to refine my culinary prejudices, I’m working on it!

Anyway, back to the recipe.  It calls for nutmeg, a spice I generally associate with desserts and Christmas.  I wasn’t sure exactly how I felt about combining it beef.  I was more than pleasantly surprised.  This dish is fantastic!  It’s hearty and filling, perfect for a cold winter night. 

Ingredients:

• 6 Tablespoons Butter (we’re off to a great start!)
• 1 Pound Top Sirloin, cut into thin 1-inch wide strips
• 1/3 Cup chopped Shallots
• ½ Pound Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
• 1/8 Teaspoon Nutmeg
• ½ Teaspoon of dry Tarragon or 2 Teaspoons of chopped, fresh Tarragon
• 1 Cup of Sour Cream at room temperature
• Salt and Pepper to taste

 I just love beef!

 So pretty

Preparation:

            In a large skillet, melt 3 Tablespoons of the Butter over medium heat.  Increase the heat to medium-high or high and add the Beef strips.  Cook the Beef quickly, making sure the heat is high enough to brown the Beef, but not burn the Butter.  I found it easiest to divide the Beef into 2 batches.  While it’s cooking, sprinkle with the Salt and Pepper.  Once browned, remove the Beef to a bowl and set aside.

            In the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped Shallots.  Cook them for 1-2 minutes and then remove them to the same bowl as the Beef.

            Next add the remaining 3 Tablespoons of Butter and melt.  Increase the heat again to medium-high and add the mushrooms.  Cook them, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.  While cooking sprinkle the ‘shrooms with the Nutmeg and the Tarragon.

            Reduce the heat to low and add the Sour Cream to the Mushrooms.  Mix the Sour Cream and Mushrooms thoroughly.  Be sure not to let the Sour Cream come to a boil as it will curdle – Gross!  Once mixed, add back in the Beef and the Shallots.  Stir to combine the mixture, taste, and add more Salt and Pepper if needed.

            I chose to serve this delicious dish over egg noodles, but potatoes or rice might be great substitutions if you prefer.

            So, so good!  Added bonus – this dish freezes very, very well, which is always a good thing!

           And, the rarest and most favorite part of the entire night - a clean kitchen!  The cleaning elves really do love me and I must say, did a fantastic job!  Thanks guys!

Back to the Basics People!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

I know I've mentioned in the past that food is art, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it has to take hours and hours slaving over a hot stove.  Sometimes it's best to take a step back and start at the very beginning, the ABC’s of the kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces of White Mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon Sunflower Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 small Onion, minced
• 1 Tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
• 2 Cups Vegetable Stock
• 2 Cups Milk
• A pinch of dried Basil
• 2-3 Tablespoons Light Cream (optional)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Source: The Soup Bible

Before we dive right in, I want to come clean about my relationship with mushrooms.  For many years I avoided the little buggers at every cost, spending numerous family dinners patiently picking them out of whatever dish,  letting my dinner go cold and always ending up the last one at the table.   

But in  a recent effort to try new and daring things (yes, to me ‘shrooms are daring) you might see a recurrent theme of mushrooms through several of my next few dishes.  So not being versed with this particular ingredient, I decided to start simple, really simple...

Preparation:

To start, the mushroom caps need to be separated from the stems.  Finely slice the caps and finely chop the stems.  Next heat the Sunflower Oil and ½ the butter in your sauce pan.  Add to this the minced onion, ‘shroom stems and roughly ¾’s of the sliced mushroom caps.  Fry the mushrooms and onions for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Reduce the heat, cover the pan and sweat over low heat for 6 or 7 minutes.

Now it’s time for the flour, stir it in and cook for about 1 minute.  Slowly add the Vegetable Stock and the milk, making a smooth, thin sauce.  Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat and simmer, only partly covered, for 15 minutes.

It’s break time!  Let the soup cool slightly, I say 5-10 minutes.  Pour into a food processor and blend until smooth.  Now add the remaining butter and fry the last of the mushroom caps over low heat for 3-4 minutes, until tender.  Remove these and rinse the pan.  Now pour the blended soup back in the pan, add the fried mushrooms and heat until very hot.  This is your chance to taste the soup and adjust your Salt and Pepper.  Also if you’re using the Light Cream (which I highly recommend) this is the time to add it.  All that’s left to do now is to serve it up.  Well, that and the dishes (sorry)!

 Now doesn't that look yummy?  It is, Boys and Girls!  Quick, simple, short ingredient list, and a hearty meal, there's nothing more to it.

Chicken Scallopine

Alright, for my first act, let me introduce you to Chicken Scallopine.  This fabulous blend of chicken, mushrooms, wine and heavy cream is absolutely scrumptious, as well as quick and easy.  To be honest it was love at first mention of wine and heavy cream.  I have yet to meet any recipe with these two stars that was less than yummy!

The Ingredients:

• 1 Pound Linguine
• 6 Whole Boneless, Skinless, trimmed Chicken breasts
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Flour
• 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 4 Tablespoon Butter
• 12 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 cup Dry White Wine   (yay!)
• Chicken Broth (optional)
• 1 Whole Lemon, juiced and set aside
• ½ cups Heavy Cream
• 1 Teaspoon (heaping) Capers
• Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley
• Parmesan Cheese, for topping

Source: Pioneer Women, August 24, 2009

First I cooked the linguine according to package instructions and then set aside for later. 

Now it’s time for the chicken.  You need to flatten your chicken breasts to uniform thickness.  The easiest method I’ve used in the past is to cover the breast with a Ziploc bag and literally pound the heck out of it with a kitchen mallet ( a very essential tool in my personal opinion). 

Unfortunately, I started this meal quite late (Aqua Man and I have some very bad habits, including eating late), so in an effort to appease my neighbors, I skipped this step, hence the plumpness in the photos.

After flattening your chicken breasts, salt and pepper both sides and then dredge with flour.  Then heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Fry chicken breasts until they achieve that lovely golden brown color on each side.  Remove them to a plate and set aside.  You may, depending on the size of your skillet, have to fry your chicken in batches.

Now your skillet is ready for your thinly sliced mushrooms.  Throw your 'shrooms into the skillet and stir.  Immediately pour in the wine (yay!) and chicken broth, if using.  I personally added ½ cup.  Now add the lemon juice.  Stir to deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape up any golden-chicken goodies stuck to the pan.  Cook for about one minute while the sauce reduces.

Now it’s time for the other star player, the heavy cream.  Pour it into your pan and stir, then add the capers and parsley and stir.  Turn off the heat.  Continue to stir the sauce while adding salt and pepper to taste.  That means you actually need to taste the sauce beforehand to get an idea what amount to add people!

Now for the plating of this glorious dish….  This part is up to you.  Pasta, Chicken, Sauce and Parmesan, how could you go wrong?  Food is art and every artist has their own views and tastes.  No matter what you choose, just be sure not to waste a single drop of sauce, after all it is the coup de grace!

Ta da!  From beginning to end, we’re talking about less than an hour until you have a fabulous, hearty meal with a sauce to die for.  After making this for the first time, I will admit that I did double the ingredients to make more sauce, but again, it’s your preference.   Bon Appétit!!   

**One more quick little side note, this dish does fairly well with freezing, my only suggestion is to cut the chicken up before freezing for easier and more consistent defrosting.