Category: Main Dish

Posted on » by Loren » Theme:

Roasted Chicken Breast with Cherry Tomatoes & Asparagus

Everything was great as usual – and I feel so healthy having eaten such a nice, summery meal. Here’s the chicken and asparagus with tomatoes:

roasted chicken breast with cherry tomatoes and asparagus

Serves 1
Make this recipe for one in a snug-fitting baking dish or to save on washing-up, a little tinfoil tray.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Put 1 chicken breast, with its skin left on, in a bowl. Add 8 trimmed sticks of asparagus, 6 halved cherry tomatoes and the leaves from 1 sprig of fresh rosemary plus a whole sprig of rosemary as well. Toss everything together with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Put the veg into a tinfoil tray and place the chicken and rosemary sprig on top. Season well. Add some white wine and cook in the middle of the oven for 25 to 35 minutes. Serve drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Because I used bone in chicken in a casserole dish, as we know, it took a bunch longer – close to 50 minutes for baking. My piece was very tender and moist, but Michael’s was “supposedly” a touch dry. Maybe next time I’ll move the pieces around for more even cooking. And add the asparagus a little later so that it doesn’t get so small. This is Jamie’s picture below.

roasted chicken breast with cherry tomatoes and asparagus

We missed you, Dino! Sorry you had to work.
I’m so looking forward to chocolate tart. It smells so good!

Posted on » by Dana & Nancy » Theme:

Seared Halibut with Yellow-Pepper Sauce (Yellow)


Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large yellow bell peppers, chopped
2 shallots, minced
2 teaspoons Caribbean jerk, Cajun, or Mexican seasoning blend
1 cup chicken broth or fish broth
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
Olive oil

Preparation
Heat butter and oil in a large cast iron or ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, and seasoning blend. Sauté 5 minutes or until shallots are translucent.
Stir in broth, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Transfer to a blender, and puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Sauce may be made ahead. Reheat before serving.)

Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper. Sear fish in hot oil 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done. Serve immediately with pepper sauce.

POUR: Look for a wine rich enough to stand up to the yellow-pepper sauce and spicy beans. A crisp, refreshing Italian Verdicchio from Bisci ($18) is a good choice. Also consider Etude’s Rosé of Pinot Noir Carneros ($20). The vibrant nose and balanced acidity make it a delightful sipping wine that complements many types of seafood.

Yield
Makes 2 servings

Julia Rutland , Coastal Living, OCTOBER 2007

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Seafood Bread

“Julia and Jacques – Cooking at Home”
(Our home computer is busted so unfortunately no pictures this time.)
1 large crusty, country bread, 10-12″ round or oval loaf With a serrated bread knife, slice off the top crust of the bread loaf and remove it as you would a lid. Scoop out the soft bread inside leaving 1/2″ around sides and bottom. Use all of the filling to make 2 to 3 cups of medium fine bread crumbs.
(I scooped as much of the bread out as I could and used about ½ the breadcrumbs)

For the Herb Butter:
3 or 4 garlic cloves, peeled
2/3 cup fresh dill sprigs, loosely packed
1//4 cup slivered almonds6 oz.unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 TBS dry white wine (2 Tb, if using liqueur)
1 TBS Pernod or Ricard (optional) (I omitted this)
(I used about 1/3 of the herb butter, I froze the rest in logs and I have used it in many applications)

For the filling:
5 oz tuna5 oz haddock (I used Cod)
5 oz salmon
7 oz squid (I used scallops)
Cut all of the above in 1″ chunks
1/4 pound wild mushrooms or cultivated mushrooms, roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup of dry white wine

Making the herb butter:
Put the garlic, dill and almonds in the food processor, pulse until finelychopped.
Add the soft butter, S & P, wine and liqueur if using. Process until smooth.

Filling the loaf:
Season the seafood with S & P, and toss.
Spread 1/2 the herb butter in the bread, covering bottom and sides.
Add 1/2 the fish mixture.
Cover with all of the mushroom mixture.Add the remaining 1/2 of the fish mixture.
Spread the remaining butter evenly over the filling.
Cover the filling with a thick layer of bread crumbs, pressing with hands to hold together.
Drizzle 1/4 C of white wine all over the crumbs to moisten.
Put on baking sheet and bake in pre-heated 400 oven for approx. 1 – 1 ½ hours or until top is browned.Let sit 10 minutes before cutting.
Using sharp, sturdy knife, cut into wedges, chunks or slices to serve.