Chicken Piccata Penne Pasta

My Lodge Dutch Oven worked perfectly for this recipe I adapted from several Chicken Piccata recipes I found. Added asparagus and mushrooms.

Chicken Breast (boneless, skinless, I used one whole breast (2 very large pieces in a normal pkg, cut in bite size pieces)

Vegetable and Olive Oil

Flour (optional)

Salt & Pepper

1-2 cups Chicken Broth

1 cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)

Sliced Mushrooms

Asparagus cut in bite size pieces

Capers (about a tablespoon or more, drained…optional)

2-3 Garlic cloves, minced

Butter (2-3 T)

3-4 Lemons (zest all of them, set aside, then juice them set aside, if you love tart lemon flavor, add more of both zest & juice)

Fresh Parsley, chopped (about a cup)

Penne Pasta (1lb pkg)

Parmigiana Reggiano (Parmesan) Cheese

Prep veggies on clean cutting board and set aside. Use a separate knife and board or make sure you are done with veggies before cutting up raw chicken. Salt and Pepper chicken and set aside.

Mix about 1/2 cup flour (or more) with more salt and pepper and place in a large shallow bowl. Dredge about half of the chicken pieces while warming up a Dutch oven.

Heat Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add enough vegetable oil to pan to cover the bottom, watch closely and before oil smokes but pan is very hot, start adding chicken a little at a time (in one layer). Brown one side without turning, then stir to turn so other side is lightly browned. Set aside in clean bowl while repeating with the other half of raw chicken. Add more oil (I used a combo of vegetable and olive oil in this second batch of browning).

As soon as chicken is all browned and removed from pan, add about 2 tablespoons of butter and the sliced mushrooms, stir as needed to brown lightly. Then add asparagus (more butter if needed) and sauté just enough to begin to brown but still crisp. Add minced garlic to taste. Sauté briefly then remove all the veggies, set aside.

Add cup of white wine and bring to a boil scraping up the crusty bits on the bottom of the pan. After a few minutes add the chicken broth and bring to boil, stirring to combine. Add browned (but not fully cooked) chicken pieces, half of the lemon zest and half of the lemon juice, stir to combine. Cover with a heatproof lid. Place the Dutch oven in a preheated oven set at 275 or 300 degrees F for about 30 minutes.

While chicken is cooking in the oven, cook your Penne Pasta according to pkg directions. Don’t overcook. I have a pasta pot so I can cook at the beginning of the recipe and when pasta is done I turn off the heat and pull the strainer with pasta out and tilt the strainer over the hot water so it doesn’t continue cooking, then drop it back in the hot water just before adding it to my completed chicken and veggies at the end.)

Remove Dutch oven to the cooktop, being careful as you remove hot lid (I kept a pot holder on the handle after I removed the lid to remind myself it was hot).

Stir in cooked veggies, add more butter for richness, capers, the rest of the lemon zest and lemon juice and stir to combine. Over medium heat of cooktop, cook and stir to warm up veggies.

Add cooked, drained pasta, some of the pasta water and parsley, stir to combine. If there isn’t much sauce in the bottom of pan add more pasta water or more chicken broth.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Tamale Bites

2 cups crumbled cornbread

1 10 oz can mild enchilada sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1/2 cup shredded jack cheese (or try cheddar)

Combine cornbread crumbs, 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, and salt, mix gently. Add ground beef and mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F. oven for 18-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat together the tomato sauce and the remaining enchilada sauce. Served cooked meatballs in sauce topped with cheese. Makes aprox. 90 meatballs.

Susie’s Broccoli Salad

2 bundles of fresh broccoli – cut into bite size pieces (flowerettes)

1 can sliced water chestnuts

1/2 cup pecans, diced

1/2 lb bacon, browned and crumbled

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup yellow or red onion, diced

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup vinegar

The day before you plan to serve this dish, wash broccoli and place in a large bowl. Add chestnuts, pecans, bacon, raisins and onion. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar well, the pour over all other ingredients and stir to coat well. Cover and refrigerate at one for one night, maybe two. Stir and serve.

 

 

Garden Vegetable Casserole

2 small summer squash, sliced

1 med. zucchini, sliced

1 small white onion, sliced

1 tomato, sliced

2 T. grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. thyme

Place all the sliced vegetables on a large cookie sheet or roasting pan. Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over and lightly toss with vegetables.

Cover and and cook in a 350 degree F. oven on a middle rack for 20-25 minutes. Or place in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes.

Pinto Beans (home cooked from dry stage)

For each pound of dry beans, add 6-8 cups of water in a large pan and bring to a boil; cook for 2 minutes and then remove from heat. Let stand for an hour or so. This produces softening equivalent to soaking beans overnight. After an hour has passed, drain beans and discard the water (helps reduce gas discomfort).

Add fresh water to cover, 2 tsp. salk, 1 T. fat (oil, shortening, bacon fat, butter, etc), cover and cook about an hour or more until beans are tender.

1 lb of dry beans + 2 cups cooked beans (approximately).

Uncle Richard’s “Joe’s Steak”

My Uncle had a friend named Joe that invented this recipe. I don’t remember the whole story but I’m trying to copy all of my hand-written family recipes and save on blogs or on my computer to have later.

Start with good quality large whole steak.

Lightly sprinkle with garlic powder. Place in a large ziplock plastic bag and pour a large amount of Gebhardt’s Hot Sauce (enough to cover completely). Massage the steak, close securely and place in a dish and refrigerate for 8-24 hours. The longer it marinates the less hot (spicy) it will be.

When ready to cook, sprinkle with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt and coarse ground pepper on both sides. Grill to desired doneness using indirect heat (sauce will burn if it’s directly over fire/coals), let rest a few minutes, then slice and serve.

Left-overs freeze well.

By my now deceased Uncle Richard Lytle, a loving and devoted father and grandfather.

 

 

Simple Croutons (from Williams-Sonoma Guide to Good Cooking software)

Prep: 10 mins

Cooking: About 30 mins

Total: About 40 mins.

Ingredients:

2 oz slightly stale French bread or Italian bread

1 T. olive oil, melted butter or a mixture

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the bread into slices 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Brush generously with olive oil, butter or mixture. Cut into 1/2-3/4 inch cubes and spread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake, turning occasionally, until crisp and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove and let cool. Croutons may be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks; check for freshness before using.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

From Williams-Sonoma Guide to Good Cooking 1996 by Broderbund Software, Inc. & Weldon Owen, Inc.

 

Mexican Rice

1 clove garlic

1/4 tsp whole peppercorns

1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds

long grain rice

1/2- 1 whole yellow onion, chopped to desired size pieces

1 green bell pepper, chopped to desired size pieces

vegetable oil

1 T. or more tomato paste

Use a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder used exclusively for grinding spices to grind garlic with peppercorns and cumin seeds. If using mortar and pestle fill with warm water and set aside. If using grinder, place in a small dish and add warm water, set aside.

Add a small amount of vegetable oil to a large skillet that has a lid over medium heat. Add enough rice to cover the bottom of the large skillet and brown over  medium heat. Add onions and peppers and saute until rice is browned and vegetable are bright. Add spices and water. Add desired amount of tomato paste for color and slight flavor. Add aprox 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. (figure out rice to water ratio based on pkg directions).

 

Baja Fried-Fish Tacos (Sunset Magazine Jan. 2006)

Baja Fish Tacos

Sesame Broccoli (Cooking Light magazine Dec. 1992)

1 1/2 lb fresh broccoli

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce (or regular)

1 tablespoon sugar

Wash and trim then steam broccoli until just crisp tender (aprox 7 minutes). Drain and keep warm.

Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add sesame seeds and saute until lightly brown (be careful not to burn). Add lemon juice, soy sauce and sugar and bring to a boil. Drizzle over cooked broccoli tossing gently to coat. Yield 4 servings, 1 cup each