Happy Valentines Day!! -- hehe
[ Chicken Scallopini, The Rose Edition ]
Ok, before Chef's start bashing me, this is just a take on Chicken Scallopini, my father has a very interesting take on this classic Italian dish, usually with a flattened piece of Veal and a white wine sauce w/maybe dried tomatoes, olive oil, etc.. (several variations)
This, is not that... this is something that I was brought up eating, and over the course of my learning sauces and cooking in general, have changed and worked with many different combos of this dish.... This being a red holiday, it's tomato sauce vs white wine... and boy was it good!
Here we go, ready?
Prepare plain white rice... unless.... you can make a risotto ;), then, a simple butter, little bit of olive oil, onion, de-glaze with a little sweet white wine, add a ladle of boiling stock to cover and reduce over and over until creamy... add a knob of butter and Parmesan... (google gordon ramsay's risotto, simple and delicious)
I serve this over rice/risotto and it's delicious... different than a typical scallopini, but.. it's great!
Chicken - cube about 3 whole breasts, serves 4 with leftovers
1 gal baggie - add flour, season with salt and pepper
Prep all of this before you start cooking please, start rice about 20 minutes before chicken
Add chicken pieces to baggie o flour --
shakeshakeshake, shakeshakeshake, shake yo bootay (Motown Baby!!)
Preheat non-stick skillet to hot (NOT smoking)
add olive oil, and then drop about half the bag contents into oil
(ok, I say drop, but don't freakin drop them in there or you will be visiting the hospital with your love one, use your head, get something to "place" them into the oil with)
cook until slightly brown, remove from oil, and finish the rest in the oil... add a little more in needed, but not too much or your sauce will be floating (eww!), just enough to cover the pieces and brown them...
You will have brown bits on the bottom... GOOOOOOOD! This is the FLAVOR!
Quickly before it burns, add about 1/2 cup of white wine OR water to the pan to de-glaze...
I used...water, for this version... I just didn't want the overpowering taste of a wine to come through in this sauce, I wanted a light tomato sauce, so I used water... user preference here, but stick with me on the water, and you'll do just fine...
get the bits on the bottom up! your sauce will thicken a little, take the chicken you removed and re-add to the sauce.. it will be come thick, quickly... add a little more water and stir.. reduce heat from mid-high, to low-med (gas at about 1/4, electric about 4)... ADD 1/2 can of TOMATO PASTE and chopped up sun-dried tomatoes... let reduce and keep adding water to the sauce, keeping thick..
Time... is on your side... the longer you let this reduce, the better it will be, plain and simple...
if it runs too thick.. add another 1/4 cup of liquid, and reduce again... before serving (about 10 min before), add a 1/4 cup of liquid to the sauce, and pull off the heat...
Top with mozz over the risotto or white rice and you have a winner!!
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Update
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Sorry for the delays!! Yes, everyone has one... mine however, is concerning my father and his declining condition and I just need to focus my attention on all my family right now... Stick with me, and the rewards shall be great...
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Hold her closely, keep her warm, and love her always....
Happy Valentine's Day!
Happy Valentine's Day!
I'll leave you with one of my favorite love songs on the planet:
~~Chef Dad~~
TOMORROW: PESTO MAC N CHEESE!!!!
(I know, I know, I promised this already, but seriously, the wait is worth it and you and your family will LOVE this, and being that It's already done, I'll be posting at lunchtime, so you can make this for dinner!!)
