Chicken Piccata with Scallion Parsley Mashed Potatoes

For the Chicken:

Ingredients -

• 3 Boneless, Skinless chicken breasts, cut in half(horizontally).
• Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
• All-purpose flour (for dredging)
• 6 Tablespoons salted butter
• 5 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/3 c. Fresh squeezed Lemon juice(about 2 lemons)
• 1/2 c. chicken stock
• 1/4 c. Capers, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 c. Fresh Parsley, chopped

To prepare chicken:

Lay out halved chicken breasts on a cutting board presentation side down and cover with plastic wrap. Pound out each halve until chicken is a uniform width all over, about 1/4" thick. Remove plastic wrap and sprinkle Kosher salt and pepper over the pounded sides of the chicken, pressing in the seasonings with your hands. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour until thoroughly coated. Set aside.

In a large saute pan, melt 1 1/2 T. of the butter with 3 T. of Olive Oil. When the butter and oil are sizzling, add 3 pieces of chicken to the pan. Cook until the chicken is golden brown, flip, and brown on the other side. When the chicken is browned on both sides, remove from a pan to a plate and set aside. Add another 2 T. of oil and 1 1/2 T. butter to the pan, and again, when sizzling, add the remaining three pieces of chicken and brown in the same manner, removing to the plate when browned.

Add the lemon juice, chicken stock, and capers to the pan and de-glaze, loosening any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken back to the pan and allow to simmer in the liquid for an additional 4-5 minutes. Remove the chicken to a platter and whisk in the remaining 3 T. butter into the pan sauce, until melted. Check the sauce for seasoning and pour over the chicken. Top the dish with the chopped fresh parsley. Serve alongside Scallion Parsley Mashed Potatoes(mashed potatoes with caramelized onions also work well with this dish).

For the Scallion Parsley Mashed Potatoes-

Ingredients:

• 6 large russet potatoes(or 10-12 small), peeled, diced, cooked, and drained
• 1/3 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 c. Fresh Parsely, roughly chopped and packed
• 1/4 c. sliced scallions or green onions
• 1/4 C. + warm Milk

Place the parsley and scallions in the bowl of a food processer. Lock the lid and begin processing. steadily pour in the olive oil in a thin stream. Process until the parsley, scallions, and oil have emulsified. Pour the oil through a tightly meshed sieve and press on the solids until all of the oil is extracted. Set aside.

Place the hot potatoes in the bowl of a stand mixer. Begin mixing on a slow speed and slowly pour in the flavored oil and milk. Mix until potatoes are smooth. Add seasoning to taste.

• Salt and pepper to taste

Pan-Seared Salmon with Warm Cherry Tomato Vinagrette & Lemon Pepper Papardelle

I'm a little bit late, but here is the meal I made for Father's Day this year. I would like to take a moment to thank Trader Joe's, who provided me with a fabulous papardelle so that I did not have to make my own. Thanks, Trader Joe's. You have saved me more time than you know. I was originally going to serve this over a potato/parsnip puree until I found the papardelle in my pantry(I guess I forgot about it!)....what was I thinking!? This salmon dish goes over pasta a THOUSAND times better than it would ever go over potatoes. If you make this, remember this little experience and serve this salmon over papardelle(or fettuccine, or even angel hair would be nice). But NOT potatoes.

Stupid, stupid, stupid...............

Ingredients:

• 4 Salmon Fillets(skinless), about 4-5 oz. each
• Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 c. Cherry Tomatoes, halved
• 1 Large Shallot, thinly sliced
  
• 1/4 c. White Wine Vinegar
• 2/3 c. Olive oil
• 1 t. Fresh Thyme, chopped
• 1 t. Fresh Oregano, chopped
• 1 t. Sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, shallot, vinegar, oil, thyme, and oregano. Stir lightly to mix. Add a little salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet(also, begin cooking your pasta at this stage). Pat salmon fillets dry and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Press into fillets. Place the salmon in the hot skillet and sear to a golden brown on each side. Remove the fillets from the pan and place on an oven safe baking sheet. Finish cooking the fish in the oven(salmon is done when it flakes easily and is cooked through, but just. Don't over cook!).

While the salmon is cooking in the oven, pour the tomato vinaigrette into the hot skillet and let simmer for about 1 minute, or until the tomatoes start to wrinkle. Remove from heat.

Serve the salmon on top of a bed of pasta and spoon the tomato vinaigrette on top of the fish.

Mediterranean Pizza

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Mediterranean Tomato Phyllo Tart

I've moved! Come over to The Kitchen McCabe for this recipe.