Pasta Puttanesca

This dish has long fascinated me....maybe it was the tantalizing title, or maybe just the simplicity of the dish itself, but it has been on my "food to-do" list for quite some time. Just hearing the name brings a vision to mind of those Italian "working girls" rushing to make this dish before their next "client" made his appearance. It is quite possible that they made this dish just to lure the poor souls to their door! The aroma wafting through the house after the anchovy paste and garlic hit the sizzling olive oil was enough to lure my husband into the kitchen!

I have tried to find the source of this recipe and I can't. I will continue to search as I want to give the creator of this amazing recipe the credit. My apologies to the author of this recipe.

PASTA PUTTANESCA
1 lb spaghetti
6-7 cloves garlic, pasted with the back of a knife, or use a garlic press
1 TBSP anchovy paste
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 cup olive oil (I use extra-virgin olive oil)
7-10 tomatoes, chopped and partially seeded*
1 cup Kalamata olives (be sure to pit them if not already pitted)
3 TBSP capers
1/2 - 3/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped

Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until it is barely al dente. While the spaghetti noodles are cooking, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the garlic, anchovy paste, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is fragrant and a light golden color (this should take 2-3 minutes).

Add tomatoes to the oil mixture, along with the olives and capers, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is done.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Simmer and turn the pasta using tongs, until it is cooked al dente, about 2 minutes. Add the basil and serve!
*NOTE: You can puree the tomatoes if you wish, but I prefer them chopped.

Next time I make this dish, I will puree half of the tomatoes and see how I like it prepared in that manner.

Enjoy!

Cuban Ropa Vieja

Tonight's dinner was a Crock Pot delight. I wasn't sure how it was going to taste but I was pleasantly surprised! It was SOOOOO good. So many different flavors just danced on the tongue in a ballet of savory richness!!! I found this recipe at Yummly.com. I served it over brown rice and for a side dish we had the left over nectarine salsa and bok choy slaw from last night.

While revamping my blog, I couldn't find this exact recipe at Yummly.com, but I did find it at GroupRecipes.com and the person who posted it said it came from Woman's Day. Just click on the link below for the recipe.

Cuban Ropa Vieja

Here are the photos I took while preparing the dish.

Lemon Chicken Piccata

This is going to be tonight's dinner. It is a new recipe that was found on allrecipes.com.

Lemon Chicken Piccata
5 large skinless, boneless chicken brest halves, cut into 1/2" pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 TBSP vegetable oil, or as needed
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1/4 cup plus 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
3 TBSP capers, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup + 1 tsp butter
3 TBSP minced Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

Preheat oven to 200°F (95°C). Place a serving platter into the oven to warm. Season the chicken beast pieces with salt and pepper and dredge them in flour. Shake off excess flour. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet; pan-fry the chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Work in batches and do not crowd skillet, added oil as needed. Place the chicken pieces onto the warmed platter in the oven. When finished with all the chicken, drain most of the oil from the skillet, leaving a thin coating on the surface of the pan. Cook and stir the minced garlic in the skillet until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Pour in the chicken broth. Scrape and dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, until the sauce reduces to about 3/4 cup, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the lemon juice and more. Drop the butter into the skillet and swirl it into the sauce by tilting teh skillet until the butter is melted and incorporated. Add the parsley; removed from the heat and set aside. Arrange the chicken medallions on serving plates and spoon sauce over each portion to serve. I am going to serve this over linguini.

Chicken Piccata

For tonight's dinner I made Chicken Piccata. YUMMY!! I think I love Chicken Piccata because of the capers. I like capers...no, wait, I LOVE capers. I have a love affair with capers. I can't get enough capers. I love their salty goodness when they pop in my mouth. They add such a great flavor to so many dishes. I truly feel this little flower bud is under-utilized in cooking.

Chicken Piccata
8 boneless chicken breasts halves
6 TBSP butter, room temperature
2 TBSP all-purpose flour, plus additional flour for dredging
1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup chicken broth
¼ cup drained capers
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley


Mix 2 TBSP butter and 2 TBSP flour in small bowl until smooth. Set aside. Lightly pound chicken between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap to ¼” thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place additional flour in shallow baking dish. Dredge chicken in flour to coat; shake off excess. Heat 1 TBSP oil in large heavy skillet. Add 2 chicken breasts and cook until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a platter; tent with foil to keep warm. Cook remaining chicken breasts, two or three at a time. Bring wine, lemon juice and broth to boil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in butter-flour mixture and boil until sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in capers, parsley and remaining 4 TBSP butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Chicken Breasts with Herb Sauce

Chicken Breasts with Herb Sauce

4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt, pepper and garlic powder (optional) to taste
All-purpose flour for dredging
2 TBSP olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock or water
¼ cup chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro, and chives
2 TBSP capers (optional)
2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP flour

Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder and coat lightly with flour. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over moderate heat and sauté the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides and firm to the touch. Transfer the chicken to an oven-proof platter and keep warm in a 200° oven. Add the wine and chicken stock to the skillet and reduce it by half, being sure to scrape up all the brown bits in the skillet as you stir. In a small bowl cut up butter into small pieces and add the flour and mix well. Addthis to the sauce and mix well. Stir in the fresh herbs and the optional capers, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.