Chicken Cutlets with Roasted Pepper Relish

I came up with this recipe several years ago when I was in the mood for roasted peppers, and put it in the back of my mind until recently when I saw Bobby Flay roasting peppers on his television brunch program.

So, before I could forget it again, I went shopping and put together this relish. It’s very tasty with chicken or on scrambled eggs in the morning.

I use Japanese panko for the breading in this recipe to impart crunchiness to the cutlets, but have also made the chicken with Italian-flavored Progresso bread crumbs in the past. Either works, it’s up to your preference.

Ingredients

·         CHICKEN BREASTS, 2 or 3, boneless and skinless

·         COOKING OIL, Canola, about a half-cup

·         BREAD CRUMBS, about a cup

·         SWEET PEPPERS, 1 each green, red, orange and yellow

·         SWEET ONION, 1 large, chopped

·         TOMATOES, 2 medium, seeded and chopped

·         CALAMATA OLIVES, about a quarter cup, seeded and chopped

·         BUTTER, 2 tablespoons

·         HONEY, 1 tablespoon

·         GARLIC SALT, to taste

·         BLACK PEPPER, freshly ground to taste

Directions

1.       Coat the peppers with vegetable oil, place on a foil-lined tray and roast in a 450˚ oven for 30 minutes, turning often, charring all sides if possible.

2.       Place the roasted peppers in a paper bag and close. Let stand for about 15 minutes and the steam will loosen the skin.

3.       Peel, seed and chop the peppers.

4.       Melt the butter on medium heat in a large pan, then sauté the onions until tender but not browned.

5.       Add the sweet peppers, olives and tomatoes. Stir together.

6.       Sweeten with the honey, then season with garlic salt and pepper to taste.

7.       When the tomatoes are heated through, remove from the heat and let stand uncovered.

8.       Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally so you have two flat pieces for each breast. Cut these in half again width-wise to make large medallions.

9.       Pound each piece flat between sheets of plastic wrap, then salt and pepper each piece.

10.   Coat each side of each piece in bread crumbs and fry in a large frying pan in vegetable oil until golden brown and delicious.

Crabby Egg Salad Crostini

Who doesn't like egg sandwiches? Who doesn't like crab salad? Who doesn't like toast? Why not combine all three in this easy pleasy open-faced tasty, crunchy munchy lunch?

Ingredients

·         EGGS, 3, hard-cooked, yolks and whites chopped separately

·         CRAB MEAT, lump, 1 cup chopped

·         MAYONNAISE, 1/4 cup

·         DIJON MUSTARD, 1 tablespoon

·         PICKLE RELISH, 2 tablespoons

·         RED or SWEET ONION, 2 tablespoons minced

·         TOMATO, 1 medium, skinned and seeded, chopped

·         FRENCH BAGUETTE, sliced on a bias into 1-inch thick crostini

·         OLIVE OIL, couple of tablespoons or so

·         CHEDDAR CHEESE, shredded

·         GARLIC SALT, to taste

·         BLACK PEPPER, freshly ground, to taste

Directions

1.       Roughly chop the egg whites, set aside.

2.       Combine the egg yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish and red onion in a bowl.

3.       Add the egg whites and crab, mixing carefully so as not to break up the pieces.

4.       Salt and pepper to taste.

5.       Sprinkle bread with olive oil and shredded cheese, and toast slightly under the broiler until top is crisp. Remove and let cool for a minute or so.

6.       Heap egg/crab filling on top, sprinkle with chopped tomato.

Fried Bread and Eggs

It’s one of the simplest breakfasts I know. All you have to do is fry a big ol’ thick slice of nutty bread in lots of butter, throw a couple of over-easy eggs on top, and serve with some breakfast sausage.

The good thing about it is that you can do almost infinite variations on this, depending on what kind of bread you can find at the bakery, and what kind of butter and/or jam/jelly you have in your pantry.

The last time I made this, I used a little jar of mango-flavored butter I picked up in a specialty food store, and some cranberry-walnut bread that I got at Whole Foods Market.

Ingredients

·         NUT BREAD, 1 slice, at least one-inch thick

·         BUTTER, unsalted, 2 tablespoons

·         FLAVORED BUTTER, as much as you want

·         EGGS, 2, over-easy, sunny side up, or scrambled

Directions

1.       Melt the butter in a non-stick sauté pan.

2.       Fry one side of the bread slice until it’s toasty.

3.       Turn over and fry the other side.

4.       Transfer the toasted nut bread to a plate and spread flavored butter on top.

5.       Top with the eggs and serve with breakfast sausage.

Chicken Cacciatore

I got my first chicken cacciatore recipe from the 1965 edition of the Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book, which I bought when I transferred college to Los Angeles.

As the years went by, I changed it, adding ingredients and altering the measurements to cater to my own tastes.

This is a very easy recipe. Once you have your mise en place set, everything moves along quickly.

Ingredients

·         CHICKEN PIECES, 6 to 10

·         OLIVE OIL, ¼ cup

·         ONION, 2 medium, large chopped

·         GARLIC, 2 cloves, minced

·         CARROTS, 2 medium, diced

·         CELERY, 1 stalk, diced

·         MUSHROOMS, 8 ounces, quartered

·         TOMATOES, 1 28-oz. can, chopped

·         CHICKEN BROTH, ½ cup

·         GARLIC SALT and FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

·         THYME, dried, 2 teaspoons

·         OREGANO, dried, 3 teaspoons

·         BAY LEAF, 1 or 2

·         RED WINE, ½ cup

Directions

1.       Brown the chicken pieces in the olive oil in a Dutch oven, remove and set aside.

2.       Add the onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, cook until tender but not browned.

3.       Add the remaining ingredients.

4.       Return the chicken to the pot, season again, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

5.       Remove the cover, and cook for 20 minutes more until chicken is tender and sauce is thick.

6.       Skim the excess fat, remove the bay leaves, and serve with pasta or rice.

Poulet au Vinaigret

I got this recipe watching Laura Calder on The Food Channel's French Food at Home. She called it "Chicken in Vinegar," but I felt it deserved a French name, so I call it Poulet au Vinaigret," which means ... "Chicken in Vinegar."

It's pretty simple, pretty easy, pretty quick, and pretty economical, using ingredients you probably already have in your pantry to go along with the chicken you just bought.

Ingredients

·         CHICKEN PIECES, 8 to 12

·         OLIVE OIL, 2 tablespoons

·         GARLIC, 2cloves, thinly sliced or minced

·         WINE VINEGAR, white, 1/2 cup or so

·         TOMATO PASTE, 1 tablespoon

·         TOMATOES, 2 large, chopped

·         BOUQUET GARNI, bay leaf, thyme, flat-leaf parsley

·         CHICKEN STOCK, 1/2 cup or so

·         BUTTER 2 tablespoons

·         SALT and PEPPER to taste

·         PARSLEY, chopped for garnish

Directions

1.       Brown the chicken in the olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper.

2.       Remove the chicken and set aside.

3.       Sauté the garlic.

4.       Add the vinegar and bring to a boil.

5.       Add the tomato paste and chopped tomatoes, stir to combine.

6.       Return the chicken to the pan.

7.       Add in the bouquet garni.

8.       Add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes.

9.       Remove the chicken and arrange on a platter.

10.   Add the butter to the sauce and cook, stirring over medium-low heat until the sauce is thickened.

11.   Drizzle sauce over the chicken, serve the rest on the side.

12.  Garnish with the chopped parsley.

Eggplant Marinara

To make Eggplant Marinara ala Craig’s style (which means quick and easy), all you really need is some eggplant and marinara sauce in a jar. Any other ingredients are left up to you.

The last time I made this dish, I had bought some fresh Japanese eggplant (the long and skinny kind) at a local farmer’s market. But if you can’t find those, look for some beautiful, shiny eggplants at your local supermarkets.

If you can, get the male fruit. It has fewer seeds and the skin is slightly less bitter. How can you tell if the eggplant is male or female? Look at the blossom end opposite the stem end. If the marking is elongated, it’s female. If it’s small and rounded, it’s male.

For the marinara sauce, I’d gotten some 24-ounce jars of Safeway Select Sundried Tomato and Olive pasta sauce. You can make your own if you like, or substitute any other brand or style. Get whatever’s on sale.

Ingredients

·         ROTINI PASTA, about ½ cup uncooked

·         OLIVE OIL, 2 tablespoons

·         SAUSAGE, 2 in casings, cut into ¾-inch rounds

·         ONIONS, 2 small, wedged into eighths

·         MUSHROOMS, 8 ounces, cut in half

·         GRAPE TOMATOES, about ¾ cup, halved lengthwise

·         BUTTER, 2 tablespoons

·         MARINARA or SPAGHETTI SAUCE, about 1½ cups

·         GARLIC, 2 cloves finely minced

·         EGGPLANT, Japanese, 4 medium, cut into 1-inch chunks

·         GARLIC SALT and PEPPER, freshly ground, to taste

Directions

1.       Boil a pot of water; add garlic salt to flavor, then cook the rotini pasta until just al dente. Set aside.

2.       Brown the sausage slightly in the olive oil, set aside.

3.       Sweat the onions in the sausage oil slightly, set aside.

4.       Sauté the mushrooms slightly, set aside.

5.       Melt the butter in the pan and add the tomatoes, sauté slightly, and set aside.

6.       Put the sausage, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes (plus the melted butter from the pan) in a large pot over medium-high heat.

7.       Stir to combine, and add the marinara sauce and garlic.

8.       Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 15 minutes covered.

9.       Add in the eggplant, cover, and increase the heat to medium for another 15 minutes, stirring often.

10.   Add in the pasta, stirring to combine all the ingredients well.

11.   Serve with garlic bread and steamed white rice.

Chicken with Winter Melon

Togan, or Japanese winter melon (sometimes referred to as "squash"), is excellent when cooked with poultry or meat in a teriyaki-flavored broth. You can find the recipe for teriyaki sauce in an earlier post on this website.

The resultant dish goes well with steamed white rice and sides of tsukemono or takuan (recipe also on this website). It’s a good, slurpy meal on a cold winter’s day.

Ingredients

·         JAPANESE WINTER MELON, 2 medium (10”), or 3 small

·         CHICKEN THIGHS, 4 boneless, skinless

·         ONIONS, 1 medium or 2 small

·         WHITE WINE, ¼ cup

·         TERIYAKI SAUCE (recipe elsewhere in this blog), ¾ cup

·         WATER, ¼ cup

·         GARLIC SALT, to taste

·         BLACK PEPPER, freshly ground, to taste

Directions

1.       Peel the melon with a vegetable peeler, cut in half lengthwise, then into ¾-inch half-moons. If the seeds are a bit on the tough side, remove the seeds with a spoon first.

2.       Cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch strips.

3.       French-cut the onions.

4.       In a large pot, sauté the chicken until the surface is lightly browned. Remove and reserve.

5.       Deglaze the pot with the white wine.

6.       Add in the onions and sauté until slightly tender.

7.       Replace the chicken in the pot.

8.       Add in the teriyaki sauce and water, and bring to a boil.

9.       Add in the winter melon.

10.   Add salt and pepper to taste.

11.   Stir all the ingredients, lower the heat to medium, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the melon is tender but not limp and mushy.

12.   Serve alongside or over steamed rice.