MARRIED...with FOOD: March 2011

This recipe is a breeze...a nice fresh plate of citrus and crispy crusty chicken. I made some fusilli pasta with steamed broccoli and asparagus and spooned the pan sauce all over everything. This was a great week day option...healthy and tasty.

4 skinless, boneless chicken cutlets (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 lemon
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup capers
1/2 cup pinot grigio or other dry white wine
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Cut the breasts in half, then to make it a cutlet, slice along the muscle from one end to the other, to create a flap that you will open up, place in a plastic baggie and pound down to about 1/4 in thick.

beat your meat sidebar: make nice little taps

all over the meat until it flattens

out to your desired thickness.

If you pound the hell out of it it will squirt

out all over the place and be uneven.

take it easy when beating your meat.

Combine the flour, salt, pepper and lemon zest in a shallow pie plate and mix it around with a fork.

Get your capers ready for the sauce

Two tablespoons of olive oil into the pan....get it to medium heat and wait for the ripples...

Two cutlets at a time into the flour mixture...pat off excess flour and into the hot oil for about 3-4 minutes per side

Just put it in the pan and let it sizzle a little, don't even think about moving it for three minutes...it should release after then...

fusilli in some salted boiling water

Broccoli and asperi cut up and steamed...do the broccoli first for like five minutes, then throw the asperi in for two or three minutes.

After the first batch of chicken is done, cover it to keep it warm while the second batch is going...

Capers into the pan for about a minute....then the broth and wine into the pan....get it to a simmer and let it reduce for four minutes or so...

Throw a tbsp of butter into the pot with drained fusilli, add the steamed veg, toss together and plate.

Off of the heat add the parsley and lemon two tbsp of lemon juice...taste and adjust with salt pepper or lemon juice accordingly.

This one was so pretty it gets two pictures...

Today we had a beautiful Sunday Supper with Mike and Meghan. Just for no reason at all, which is a great reason to get together with good friends and enjoy some great food. We made pappardelle noodles with a pork spare rib ragu...so good!

1 1/2 lb. meaty pork spareribs, cut into individual ribs

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 1/2 lb. fresh plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or 1 can (28 oz.) plum tomatoes, chopped
1 lb. fresh egg pasta dough (see related recipe at left)
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese, plus more for serving

Started the afternoon off with some golf and the NCAA tournament, along with some Port Salut, triple creme and kilaree irish cheddar cheeses. Also had some salami and prosciutto di parma.

Get the mirepoix going, nice small dices for the sauce

The recipe calls for fresh plums, and since we are in the middle of a cold cold spring, there are no fresh plum tomatoes, so the next best is San Marzano canned tomatoes from Italy. Get them out, dice and strain them.

It doesn't get more local and sustainable (whatever that means), than some cab from right here in Roselle/Bloomingdale.

Get two tablespoons of olive oil going in the dutchy....medium heat....about three to four minutes, until you see the ripples.

While the oil is warming, pat the ribs down with paper towels, or if you are out of paper towel, you can use paper napkins...season one side with salt and pepper, season the other side whilst searing the already seasoned side

There is great debate on whether or not to sear...I think this picture is worth a thousand words...which rib would you rather make a sauce out of? There is no real proof that searing seals in the juices, but it does add some texture and gives you some tasty bits to scrape up with your veg and wine.

Once the ribs are done, get the veg in and let it stew for 10 minutes, then add the wine for a minute, let the alcohol cook off for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and one cup of water.

food art side bar: Its amazing how

beautiful simple vegetables can be...

just a scoop of onions, carrot and celery

with so many colors and variations...

don't forget to use all of your

senses when cooking

Bring the sauce mixture to a simmer and tuck the ribs back in. Lower to low heat and cook on the stove-top covered for 2-2.5 hours.

Mince some garlic, 5 tablespoons of room temperature butter, oregano and salt and pepper and spread over half of a whole wheat loaf...put in some foil and into the 350 oven for 30-40 minutes once the ribs come out of the pot.

Once the ribs are done, get them out and pull the meat from the bone. Separate the little ligament thingy from the meat too...some of it will have melted and is ok, but if it is still in tact and tough just use your fingers to remove the meat from this skin and discard it. Get all the meat back into the pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

We bought some fresh egg noodles and cut it into papardelle noodles...fresh pasta only needs about 2-3 minutes in boiling water to cook...don't even drain it...grab it with some tongs and into the pot of sauce.