A Stack of Dishes

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GF

Bleu Cheese and Apple Stuffed Chicken {w blistered tomato pasta}

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Ah the ubiquitous chicken breast- and the endless possibilities…
 
The Fall gets me thinking about earthier flavors. I am drawn to rosemary now like no other time of the year. The oven can be turned on without concern, or more correctly, with relish.
 
Making packages, anything individual, is so enticing. Turnovers, petite fours, cupcakes etc, are tidy delights. Little jewels that for that bit of time make one feel royal and deserving.
 
Making chicken into packages is simply a way to turn the mundane into extraordinary on a Monday. And why not feel royal on a Monday?
 
Plump breasts were filleted off the bone, then butterflied and each half pounded to evenness. Do not let this step faze you- it’s no brain, just brawn. If you haven’t a mallet, lay the side of the knife and with fist wrapped in a towel gently pound. Filled with a mixture of grated apples, garlic, onions, bread crumbs, bleu cheese and olive oil, then wrapped with gorgeous slices of prosciutto.
 
 
Once slid into the oven it’s quick work of the pasta and tomatoes. Easy and comforting.
 
The wine for this was a California Chardonnay. Acidic enough to balance the cheese and rosemary, but with enough body to hold it’s own to the richness of the dish. I might even have gone for a San Giovese with good fruit and lower tannin.
 
 
 
Blue Cheese and Apple Stuffed Chicken
 
1 large chicken breast filleted off the bone, skin removed
.5 c grated granny smith apple
1 clove minced garlic
.5 cup minced onion
1 c fresh bread crumbs
1 oz flavorful bleu cheese
1T Olive oil
S&P
rosemary leaves, fresh preferred, dried is fine
 
 
Holding palm down on the top of the chicken breast and gently pressing down, slice a knife through the center to butterfly in half
 
Pound each half into evenness on a cutting board under a layer of plastic wrap
 
In separate bowl combine the filling ingredients. 
 
Divide the filling between the two chicken pieces, then roll up tucking under any untidy ends
 
Oil roasting pan and place chicken into pan. Wrap each breast with one piece of prosciutto, once again tucking under any stray bits
 
Lightly oil the tops and add sprigs of rosemary
 
Roast in 350˚ oven for ~35mins
 
 
Blistered Tomato Pasta
 
.25 package of spaghetti
1 large clove of garlic minced
generous handful of cherry tomatoes
3T olive oil
2T white balsamic vinegar
S & P
 
Prepare spaghetti according to the package and drain
 
In medium sautee pan heat oil on medium heat and gently sautee garlic, taking care not to burn which can result in bitterness
 
When garlic is almost golden toss in cherry tomatoes and sautee, shaking the pan for ~3 mins
 
Splash with the vinegar, then toss in the pasta to reheat and coat
 
S & P to taste
 
 
The recipe may be doubled or tripled with ease. It’s a great meal for entertaining as much of it can be readied beforehand. Prepare the chicken in advance and then pop it into the oven when your guests arrive. The pasta may be cooked earlier and then reheated with the making of the tomatoes. Once the pasta is tossed with the tomatoes I suggest a quick splash of a tablespoon or so of water and covering the pan with a lid. This will quickly steam the pasta and bring it up to temperature. This is so much better than wielding great pots of boiling water when trying to entertain.
 
 
 

Donna Hay Challenge

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Donna Hay White Bean Salad
About 3 weeks ago I was perusing an older issue of Donna Hay Magazine (#42 Dec/Jan 2009) and I spied this recipe for White Bean Salad. I thought what a great thing to make and shoot. It was then the very next day that I happened upon the blog Jungle Frog who was offering up a challenge using the exact same recipe! As I am one to listen to the Goddesses when they try to tell me something- I decided to give it a go.
The idea was each month to replicate a recipe from one of Donna Hay‘s publications, not only the recipe, but the photography as well. I’ve always loved the style and the beauty of the images in the magazine, which I can prove by the stacks of every past issue I ever purchased that populate my apartment. As a side note: I am paring down my belongings in preparation of my move to Louisiana, but every single one of those babies are going with me.
The photography, like the food, is very clean, uncluttered and ethereal- and it was a bit trickier to produce than I thought. This was shot by Chris Court, who’s work I really adore.
I shot this using daylight continuous light bulbs through frosted paper. Though I have boatloads of sunlight in my apartment, I had to shoot this before the dawn this morning. I use a Canon 5D (LOVE my camera) with a 50mm, 1.2 lens. I shot it at f11 and used a folded white card for bounce back. I shot it on a pale blue paper because though her photographs often have a cool tint, it appeared to me in the photo that the plate was not cast. I did a little tweaking in Photoshop to bring out the midtones and lessen the contrast a touch. I also adjusted the white balance to make it tiny bit cooler as well.
This was a great exercise for me and the recipe is pretty fantastic too. I used ricotta that I had made from scratch last week and a lusciously fragrant Olive Oil. My daughter stopped over for lunch today and she tucked into a generous mound and loved it.
Donna Hay’s Ricotta and White Bean Salad
 
1 can white beans- cannellini-rinse and drained
1 small red onion, thinly sliced (I did a French cut)
1/4 c black olives, halved
1/4 c flat leaf parsley leaves
1c grape tomatoes, halved
S & P
several spoons of fresh ricotta
2T extra virgin olive oil
2 t red wine vinegar
 
Combine beans, onion, olives, parsley, tomatoes and seasoning. Gently toss.
 
Divide onto serving place and dollop with ricotta.
 
In separate bowl combine oil and vinegar then spoon over salad.
 
Serves 2

Friday Night Eggplant

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Asian Inspired Eggplant

A quick simple post for a simple Friday night sup. A long strange week in the kitchen left me feeling like a needed a little something special without pulling out all the pots and pans. I purchased an eggplant earlier in the week with an inspiration to do something smokey and some sort of stuffing? but I got myself into an Asian mood, probably a hang over from the Thai rolls yesterday.
So late in the afternoon, during my 4pm “must sit on the couch now for a few” break, I pulled out Kylie Kwong’s book Simple Chinese Cooking. I really enjoy her cooking style and the easy simple recipes. The techniques are also so straight forward and easy to master, it’s like magic. The hardest part really is gathering the ingredients such as sichuan peppercorns, shao hsing wine and malt vinegar. Once they are established in the pantry it’s an easy delight pull it all together.
It’s fascinating to me how a handful of simple ingredients can be transformed into something so unimaginably different and delicious.
Eggplant Salad
Adapted from Kylie Kwong’s, Simple Chinese Cooking
 
 
1 large eggplant, peeled
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon finely sliced spring onions
pinch ground white pepper
 
dressing
 
1/4 c malt vinegar
2 tablespoons shao hsing wine or dry sherry
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
 
Cut eggplant into long slices lengthwise, then cut into 3/4″ strips. Sprinkle with salt on both sides and lay on tray in single layer. Set aside for 10 minutes.
 
Dressing: place all the ingredients into a small heavy-based saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2 mins, then set aside to cool.
 
Place eggplant in colander and rinse well under cool water. Drain and pat dry.
 
Arrange eggplant in one layer on a heatproof plate that will fit inside a steamer. Steam covered for 6 mins or until eggplant is just tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from steamer and allow to cool slightly.
 
To serve, arrange eggplant on a plate and spoon over dressing. Sprinkle with onions and white pepper.