Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata has been one of my go to recipes for years as I always have capers and lemons in the fridge, and as you will soon find out, tastes really good.

While not totally necessary, it’s a more delicate dish with thinner pieces of chicken so take the time to lightly pound your chicken breasts a bit. If you don’t have a pounder, a rolling pin or full wine bottle will work.

Once pounded, liberally salt and pepper both sides then dust each piece in flour. Add some olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium high heat, once hot, cook the chicken in batches for a couple minutes per side then set aside.

Once you’ve browned all of your chicken, turn down the heat, add some more oil to the pan and sauté a sliced shallot, three tablespoons of drained capers, and a teaspoon of lemon zest. After a couple of minutes, add a cup of chicken stock and simmer until reduced by half.

When you’re ready to eat, squeeze a half a lemon and a few slices of butter into your sauce and stir. Once the butter is melted, salt and pepper to taste and return the chicken to the pan. Give it a couple of minutes to ensure it’s cooked through then serve with plenty of sauce spooned over the top.

Salmon Tom Yum

Tom Yum soup is the most amazing balance of spicy, sour and lemongrass, and like chicken soup, lends itself to lots of variations depending on what you have in the fridge. Hence, I always make sure I have a jar of Maesri Tom Yum Paste on hand so when I get the craving a bowl is never more than 20 minutes away. Last time I checked I couldn’t find Tom Yum paste locally, but you can buy it at any Asian grocery store, and there are several great ones in Burlington.

Following the directions on the jar I start by stirring the Tom Yum paste into a pot of simmering water, about 1 and a half cups of water per person. This time around I added some cut up broccoli, half a coarsely chopped onion, some enoki mushrooms, and a teaspoon each of sugar and tomato paste. 

Let the vegetables cook for a few minutes before adding the cut up skinless salmon. Shrimp works great too! It shouldn’t take more than three or four minutes at a low simmer for the salmon to cook through. Before serving, stir in a couple tablespoons of fish sauce and the juice from a whole lime. Easy…and so gooooood!

Shrimp and Artichokes in a Lemon Butter Sauce

I prefer frozen artichokes hearts, but if the jarred marinated hearts are all that’s available just rinse and drain them in a strainer beforehand. Either way, cut the artichokes in half and set aside.

In a large heavy pan sauté a sliced shallot and several chopped garlic cloves in some olive oil over low heat. After a minute, add the artichoke hearts along with a half a teaspoon of lemon zest. Stir well and cook for another few minutes.

Pour in a cup of seafood, clam, or chicken stock, bring to a low simmer and let cook while you peel a pound of shrimp. Ten minutes before you’re ready to serve, add the shrimp, a couple tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, and some chopped parsley.

Cover and cook until the shrimp are cooked through, a few minutes should do. To finish, slide the pan off of the heat, stir in two to three tablespoons of butter, then salt and pepper to taste.