Chicken Cutlets w/ Parsley & Capers

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the face of a beggar...

Oh, he likes to pretend that it's just a normal day.  That he didn't just languidly stretch and saunter his way onto the chair.  Never mind the fact that a warm plate of chicken was just placed on the table that he now rests his chin on.  It's just another day.  Oh yes, he would like you to believe that he always rests his chin on the table by creating a diversion: looking the exact opposite way of said plate of chicken.  Just chillin'.  Nope.  Nothing to see here.  Just one of the many ways he earns his name Beggy McBeggerson.  Of course, some days he's Pukey McPukerson or Pissy McPisserson, but we won't get into that right now...

But you, too, may be tempted to beg if you smelled savory chicken with hints of lemon and capers.  It's simple, but it's divine.

Chicken Cutlet w/ Parsley & Capers
adapted from Apples for Jam
serves 1

1 large chicken breast, sliced horizontally lengthwise into thirds
~4 Tbs. all-purpose flour
olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled & smashed
salt & freshly ground pepper
juice of half a lemon
1½ Tbs. capers, chopped
3 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped

Pat both sides of chicken dry with paper towels, then dredge lightly in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper.  Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat with the garlic clove.  Add chicken and saute until lightly golden on one side, then flip and repeat.  They are very thin, so they will cook quickly.  Remove the chicken to a warm plate and add lemon juice, capers and half of the parsley to the pan with a few tablespoons of hot water; let it bubble for a minute or two.  Mix in remaining parsley, then pour over the chicken and serve.  Quick and full of flavor!
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It's a POTLUCK this week at IHCC!

Sautéed Feta w/ Piquant Relishes + Athenos Yiayia GIVEAWAY!

I love Christmas music.  Yes, I know it's only September...just bear with me.  There's just something about it that makes me sing along.  I don't want to hear it all year long, but once the calendar changes from November to December, it's fair game.  I even have one whole mp3 player full of only Christmas tunes.  Tons and tons of holiday music.  And to be honest, I suppose I should actually qualify it as "holiday" or "seasonal" music, but lots of it doesn't actually have anything to do with Christmas, but rather with snow, cold weather, jingling bells, snowmen, reindeer, wassailing, ice skating, and winter wonderlands.  But for most people understand when I say Christmas music that all of this is included.  If you clicked down through the playlist, you'd find everything from jazz to country to big band to rock 'n roll to church choirs.  Now, I will admit that I'm not a church-going kind of gal.  With one exception.  I love to go to Christmas Eve services.  Why?  Well, if you hadn't guessed by now, it's so I can sing Christmas hymns. 

While I think I've conveyed how much I enjoy the music of the winter season (at least I hope I have), there's something haunting, beautiful, joyful, and solemn at the same time about the Christmas hymns.  Ever since I was a little girl, they have been able to bring tears to my eyes.  Whether on the risers at a concert or on the uncomfortable wooden pews, I always find myself choking back tears.  I sing along and a huge lump works its way up my throat, causing totally uncomfortable pain and tears stream down my face.  It's almost embarrassing.  Even if I try not to, it happens.  I wind up with my lips moving, yet no sound can make its way past the lump.

What's my point?  Okay, okay.

Picture, if you will...a younger Heather...about 14 or 15 years ago.  As my family does most years, we met at my grandparents house for Christmas Eve.  Platters stacked high with smoked, sliced ham.  Never-ending baskets of Hawaiian rolls.  Rings of chilled pink shrimp encircling cocktail sauce with a strong kick of horseradish.  Pumpernickel bread bowls overflowing with spinach dip.  And countless cookies, bars, candies and goodies.  Some years we head over to grandma and grandpa's church for the service before we eat.  This was one of those years.  Remember me and my Christmas-hymn affliction?  Well, this year, all of that seemed to vanish.  I sang through the lump and it vanished.  I felt particularly pleased with myself and my ability to sing the hymns "right".  So I sang.  Oh boy, did I sing!  And I have a pretty decent voice and I can carry a tune.  I had nine or ten years of choir to back me up.  So I belted out Christmas spirit and was ready to go back and eat some good food and laugh, catch-up, and play games...maybe open some presents.  That is, until we were filing out of the aisle and my uncle turns to me and says...

"That was a bit much, don't you think?"

Uncle or Yiayia??

Looks like Yiayia, the quintessential Greek grandmother, doesn't approve either. {sigh}  But really, Yiayia doesn't approve of much in today's fast and modern society. So, while Yiayia (and my Uncle) may not approve of my getting caught in the moment and letting my emotions...and my voice...sing, I know she'd approve of me using Athenos Feta Cheese.  Since Athenos products are made the traditional Greek way- simply and with respect for the ingredients, they are pretty much the only aspect of modern culture that Yiayia will embrace.

I love the salty tang of feta whether crumbled over a salad, tucked into a gyro, or cooked into my favorite Greek breakfast skillet.  But my absolute favorite way is something I learned a few years ago (from Tyler Florence) sautéeing it!  Coating the feta in a thin dusting of flour before you put it on the heat allows it to form a thin crust that just holds in the cheese that gets soft and melty from the quick sauté.  It's very delicate; I like to use a fish spatula when flipping to help keep that thin crust from sliding off.  Served with some glorious piquant (stinky, but super delicious and addicting) relishes, I find everything from my tastebuds to my toes tingling with pure bliss.  The first relish I tried was based on the same T.F. recipe, but I've changed it a bit over the years.  I also decided that it needed a second relish to add another layer of color and flavor, so I came up with one that included sundried tomatoes and kalamata olives.  The saltiness of the capers and olives play wonderfully against the richness of the anchovies, the heat of the garlic, the earthiness of the nuts, and the sweetness from the raisins which are all rounded out by the freshness of the herbs. 

Sautéed Feta w/ Piquant Relishes
serves 4-6

Sautéed Feta
2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) Athenos Feta Cheese
all purpose flour
olive oil
1 lemon, optional

Cut the feta into either slices or triangles that are ~1/2" thick (cut into thirds, so that you have 3 "slabs", then cut each of those down the center diagonally to get 6 trianges or in half lengthwise to get 6 slices).  Pour some flour onto a plate.

Dredge each piece of feta in flour, shaking to remove excess and set aside for a moment. Place a large cast-iron (or nonstick) skillet over medium-high heat.  Pour on a thin layer of olive oil, and once it is screaming hot, add a few feta pieces to the pan (being careful not to overcrowd) and brown for ~1 minute per side.  If using, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the slices once they are browned and transfer to a serving plate.  Spoon a bit of each of the sauces over the cheese to serve.

Parsley, Raisin, Caper, and Pine Nut Relish 

2 Tbs. golden raisins, coarsely chopped
1 Tbs. capers, drained and coarsely chopped
1½ anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 Tbs. pine nuts, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c.  fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
juice of ½ lemon
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Combine everything, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sundried Tomato, Walnut, Olive, and Oregano Relish

~8 sundried tomatoes, dry pack, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs. kalamata olives (I used Lindsay Greek Kalamatas), coarsely chopped
1 Tbs. purple raisins, coarsely chopped
1½ anchovy fillets, finely chopped
2 Tbs. walnuts, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs. fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried)
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
juice of ½ lemon
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Combine everything, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

GIVEAWAY

One person, picked by random draw from qualifying entries will win:

 -A copy of my favorite recipe using Athenos Feta
 -Serving platter and serving utensils
 -5 FREE coupons for Athenos Feta
 -Plus, since my uncle disapproves of my spirited singing, I am giving away a $50 Amazon gift certificate, courtesy of Athenos, so that you can go buy headphones and cd's (or whatever else you choose) to cover up my loud singing, should I happen to get carried away in the moment...

For your chance to win, please share your own humorous story about someone who has shown disapproval of some aspect of your life, and took you off guard but also made you laugh in the comments section.

All submissions due by 11:59 pm (Eastern) on Tuesday September 20, 2011.  Good Luck!

Update 9/21/11: And the winner is.... Deb from Kahakai Kitchen who said:   
My story is actually about my friends mom who is in her 80's and always perfectly dressed with her hair, make up and jewelry just so. She's a funny little lady (and would be the Filipino version of Yiayia) but hyper critical and always tells my friend to go put on some make up, even when she is wearing it and looks great. Anyway... we were at a work event, dressed and made up to the nines (or so I thought), which is rare for me. My friend brought her mom who took one look at me and said ... "Oh Deb, you look so dressed up and so pretty tonight... but maybe you should go put on some make up.." You have to laugh. ;-)
Yes, you do...congrats, Deb!

Surely I'd hear something like this if I served this meal to Yiayia

Can't get enough Yiayia?  You can find more of her disapprovals on YiaTube or Twitter.  Plus, learn more about Athenos products by visiting their Facebook page.

*disclaimer: I have partnered with Athenos for a sponsored post and giveaway. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments toward Athenos products. Kraft Foods is providing the prizes for this program at no cost to me.  This program is not administered or sponsored by Kraft Foods or its affiliates, but solely by Heather Schmitt-González of girlichef.

I am sharing this post with:

50 Women Game-Changers (in Food): #10 Hannah Glasse & Mrs. Isabella Beeton - Pan-Seared Trout w/ Caper Sauce

In May '11, Gourmet posted a list of 50 Women Game-Changers (in Food) that runs the gamut from food writers to cookbook authors to television personalities to restauranteurs to chefs to food bloggers.  Some are a given.  Some are controversial.  Speaking the names of some brings fond childhood memories.  Speaking the names of others will make some readers cringe.  And of course, some of our favorites were not even included.  We food-lovers are a passionate bunch of people and whether we agree or disagree, every woman on this list has earned her place for a reason.  Being a woman who is passionate about food (cooking, eating, talking about, writing about, photographing), when I caught wind of Mary from One Perfect Bite's idea of cooking/blogging her way through each of these 50 women...one per week...I knew I wanted to join her.  Many of these women paved the way for us in culinary school, in the kitchen, in cookbooks, in food writing, and on television and I think it is a fabulous way to pay tribute to their efforts.  Some of the women on the list have been tops with me for years.  Some I have heard of (perhaps even seen, read, or cooked from) before.  And there are even a handful that I am not familiar with at all.  I excited to educate myself on each of these women game-changers and hope you look forward to reading along.  We are going in order from 1 to 50.

the "Gourmet" prompt...

10. Hannah Glasse and Mrs. Beeton- Mrs. Glasse’s The Art of Cookery (1747) and Mrs. Isabella Beeton’s Book of Household Management (1861) are Important Foundation Cookbooks.

I am completely fascinated by these two ladies.  Honestly, I had never heard of them before.  I think you'd be lucky to find a hard copy of either book anyplace, but oh, how I'd love to get my hands on one.  I was able to find both books in their entirety on the internet, though.  The style of the books (to me) is reminiscent of Carême and Escoffier.  But unlike those men, we never studied Glasse or Beeton in culinary school.  I suppose they were more for the common folk and women.

Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management was a guide to all aspects of running a household in Victorian Britain...dealing with everything from dealing with servants to invalid cookery to children's cooking plus a load of recipes.  It would take me forever just to get through it.  I find it that Isabella wrote all of this in her 20's, as she died at 28.

In a 2006 BBC documentary, Glasse was called the "mother of the modern dinner party".  The Art of Cookery also includes a load of recipes along with chapters on how to market and medicines and repellants.

worth further exploration:  (online cookbooks) Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management, The Art of Cookery

Pan-Seared Trout w/ Caper Sauce

Mrs. Beeton suggests pairing her Caper Sauce with skate or salmon, but since I had access to some very fresh trout, I decided to use this instead.  I think it is more of a "caper butter" than a "caper sauce", but no matter what you call it, it melts nicely on top of  hot, just-cooked fish...seeping in and adding another layer of flavor.

serves ~3

One (12 oz.) fillet of Trout w/ skin

butter

sea salt

white pepper

Caper Sauce (*recipe below)

*Caper Sauce for Fish
from Mrs. Isabella Beeton's Book of Household Management 

as written (includes numbered recipe from book...I left out the optional glaze, used guesstimates on the "dessert spoonfuls" and used anchovy paste in place of anchovy essence...I just added everything to the hot pan that I cooked the fish in and it was finished in no time):  

383. INGREDIENTS - ½ pint of melted butter, 3 dessert spoonfuls of capers, 1 dessert spoonful of their liquor, a small piece of glaze, if at hand (this may be dispensed with), ¼ teaspoonful of salt, ditto of pepper, 1 tablespoonful of anchovy essence.

Mode.—Cut the capers across once or twice, but do not chop them fine; put them in a saucepan with ½ pint of good melted butter, and add all the other ingredients. Keep stirring the whole until it just simmers, when it is ready to serve.

Time.—1 minute to simmer.

Make sure that your trout fillet is scaled and free of any pin bones.  Cut into three (4 oz. each) pieces.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Using a very sharp knife, make three diagonal cuts through the skin of each piece of fish.  This will keep the skin from curling up when it hits the heat.  Season each side with salt and white pepper.

Place a large sauté pan (I like to use either cast-iron or hard-anodized finish) over medium-high heat.  Once it is hot, throw in a pat of butter.  Once it has melted and has begun to foam, add fish, skin side down.  Cook until skin is golden and crispy, ~3 minutes.  The butter may "pop", so be careful.  Gently flip the fish over and cook for another minute or so, until just cooked through.

Serve on a bed of baby spinach or other greens.  Divide the "sauce" over each plate and throw in a lemon wedge or two for squeezing over.  As you eat, the buttery sauce seeps down into the fish, adding another rich layer of flavor.  All of the juices then begin to wilt the spinach.  Paired with the lemon squeezed over everything, this makes a fantastic meal!

Hannah Glasse  (March 1708 - September 1770)

 ~ ~

Mrs. Isabella Beeton  (March 12, 1836 - January 1865)

Who is cooking along with these 50 Women Game-Changers?

Mary- One Perfect Bite, Val- More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne- Eats Well With Others, Taryn- Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan- The Spice Garden, Heather- girlichef,  Miranda- Mangoes and Chutney, Katie- Making Michael Pollan Proud, Kathy- Bakeaway with Me, Sue- The View from Great Island

I am sharing this post with:

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca (with or without Tuna)

So, it's been a long time since I've had a Pasta Puttanesca.  Whore's Pasta.  Working Girl's Pasta.  Slut's Spaghetti.  You've all heard the origins, right?  It's quick and easy and spicy and...worth it.  So, it's fun to eat...fun to say...fun to talk about.  I sat down to chip away at a few of the shows built up on my DVR the other day, and I just happened to watch the episode of Extra Virgin when Gabriele and Debi were planning their respective Bachelor and Bachelorette parties before their vow renewal ceremony is Tuscany. Ahhh, dreamy.  I just love those two.  Well, Gabriele made Spaghetti alla Puttanesca for his party (Debi made Tiramisu).  Of course it started my tastebuds a-tingling.  Then I sat down to flip through some Jamie books and figure out what I could make for "Something Fishy" over at IHCC this week.  Honestly, my cupboards were pretty bare...but I did have everything I needed to make one dish.  Spaghetti alla Puttanesca.  Un Signo.  Jamie suggested using a puttanesca that added tuna.  While fresh tuna wasn't one of the items in my bare cupboard...canned tuna was.  I liked it with canned tuna, but I know I would have adored it with a freshly grilled tuna steak.  Next time.

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
(with or without tuna)
inspired by Gabriele Corcos (Extra Virgin)  & Jamie Oliver (Jamie's Dinners)
serves ~4

~12 oz. whole wheat spaghetti
olive oil
4 anchovies
2 garlic cloves, sliced paper thin
small handful Kalamata olives, smooshed w/ your thumb a bit
small handful capers, rinsed
crushed red chile flakes, to taste
~ 1# tomatoes, concasse (peel, seed, & small diced) or 1 (14.5 oz) can petite-diced tomatoes, drained
fresh parsley, chopped
freshly ground black pepper
parmesan, optional

optional:
Tuna (1 streak per person), fresh grilled/cooked to your liking (best option), but you can use good canned tuna, drained 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente.  In the meantime, Heat a couple glugs of olive oil in a large, slope-sided nonstick skillet.  Add anchovies and let them cook a minute or so until they start to melt into the oil.  Add garlic, olives and capers and sauté for another minute or so and then throw in the red chile flakes and let cook another 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes, turn down the heat a bit and let everything simmer together for ~10 minutes.  When you drain the pasta, set aside about a cup or so of the cooking water, then add the pasta right into the skillet and toss everything around.  Pour in some...or all...of the reserved water and let everything cook together for another 5 minutes or so.  Throw in the parsley and season with freshly ground black pepper.  You shouldn't need salt because the anchovies, capers, and olives probably added enough...but taste and decide for yourself.  Toss everything together and divide amongst plates.  Shave some fresh Parmesan over each dish.  Drizzle with a little more olive oil.

If you are using tuna, season with a bit of salt and pepper, rub with a bit of olive oil, then grill (or sauté, whatever you wish) the tuna steaks to your liking.  Set a whole steak atop or aside each portion...or pull them apart a bit and scatter the pieces over the pasta.  You can use canned.  I tried that- not quite the same, but still decent.  I'd go big or go home on this one.

Our theme at IHCC this week is Something's Fishy.

I am also sharing this post with:
*Kirstin at From Kirstin's Kitchen to Yours who is hosting PPN this week.

Sauteed Feta Cheese w/ Parsley, Raisin, Caper and Pinenut Sauce

I say Bring on the cheese...the stinkier the better!!! I do love cheese in pretty much any size, shape or form. When I ran across Tyler Florence's recipe for Sauteed Feta Cheese, I knew it was something I wanted to try. I've had the page bookmarked for quite a while and finally got around to making it a couple of days ago.

Sauteed Feta Cheese w/ Parsley, Raisin, Caper and Pinenut Sauce

slightly adapted from Tyler Florence's Eat This Book

for the Parsley, Raisin, Caper and Pine Nut Sauce:

1/4 c. golden raisins, coarsely chopped

3 Tbs. capers, drained and coarsely chopped

3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

3 Tbs. Pine Nuts, coarsely chopped

1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (1/2 c.)

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

all the rest:

1 large block (1 1/2 lbs.) feta cheese

1 c. AP flour

extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon

Stir up all of the ingredients together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cut the feta into 1/2" thick slices. Put flour on a plate. Put a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat with a 2 count of oil. When the oil is smoking, dredge the cheese slices in the flour, and add as many slices as will comfortably fit in the pan. Brown about one minute on each side, until golden brown. Squeeze some lemon juice over them, then use a spatula to carefully transfer to a platter. Repeat with the rest of the cheese, adding a little more oil to the pan if you need to . Spoon the chopped-herb sauce over the cheese and serve. My thoughts on this recipe: I loved it! The cheese is so pungent and in-your-face...but the sauce adds so many layers of flavor to the dish. A slight crunch from the pine nuts, a little sweetness from the raisins, the bright flavors of the parsley, the richness of the anchovy, the saltiness of the capers...YUM! Tyler notes that this "goes down great at a cocktail party".

BE SURE TO HEAD OVER TO TYLER FLORENCE FRIDAYS TO CHECK OUT EVERYBODY ELSE'S DELICIOUS TYLER OFFERINGS!

Lengua a la Veracruzana inspired by Kitchen Confidential #cookthebooks

I've said it before and I'll say it 'til the end of time...I am a bookworm. I love to read almost as much as I love to cook...maybe just as much, actually! To be fair to books, I have been reading longer than I've been cooking (by a few measly years), so I should definitely give books credit where credit is due! So, imagine if you will how thrilled I was to stumble across the group Cook the Books. Cook the Books is group of bloggers (I think mostly or all foodie bloggers, but since I'm not positive I won't confirm) who pick a book to read on a bi-monthly schedule, then cook something up...related to the book in some form...and blog about it! Brilliant. So I jumped on the bandwagon (let's call it a bookmobile in this instance) and rented this month's pick from the library. I think I'd actually started it before, but never finished it...so, here was my chance. The book du jour this time was Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.

Ah, Tony (think he'd mind me calling him Tony??)...what can I say. He is a paradox. He's the kind of guy you love to hate...but also, you hate to love him. He's a food snob. Yet, he loves the salt of the earth people...and their food and their cooking. He has a loud mouth, but he knows when to shut it (okay, usually). If you haven't worked in a restaurant kitchen before, you may find yourself picking up your jaw after reading about the, shall we call them...antics, that go on behind the scenes. But for somebody who has done their time in the trenches...picked up those scalding saute pans bare-handed and kept on working...thrown jabs with the big guys...hoarded side towels, had their mise en place raided, worked all night...and the next day, too...worked side by side with some of the greatest misfits in town...I found myself laughing, nodding my head, reminiscing and actually identifying with parts of this book. Now, I am definitely not claiming to have seen or done all of the crazy things Mr. Bourdain has, but I could tell a few tales. Hmmm, maybe I will write it all down...you never know, right.