Keep It Simple

I've caught 5 Ingredient Fix on the Food Network a couple times recently, and it's inspired me to simplify my recipes.  For my cooking classes I like to introduce people to lots of different ingredients and techniques, so I find that my recipes are often not as simple as the things that I usually cook for myself.  But lots of ingredients don't necessarily equal better flavor.  Case in point, the delicious Smoky Chicken in Lemon Cream Sauce that I fixed today.  While I exceeded the "5 ingredients" of Claire's recipes (apparently I'm working on my own "8 Ingredient Fix" show), it's still a simple, yet flavorful dish.

I was inspired my the gynormous lemons my friend Janet gives me from her tree...

They are full of juice and have a pungent zest, so I wanted to create something yummy with this bad boy.  I had some leftover chicken from a class the other night and some half and half, so I immediately thought of a chicken in lemon cream sauce.  I cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, seasoned them with salt & pepper and sauteed them in a little olive oil (oil, salt & pepper don't count in the 5 ingredient mix).  The color to me was a little boring, so I hit it with 1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika (my newest love).  When fully cooked, remove from heat and keep warm. 
Next I added a tablespoon of butter (don't be afraid of butter; it wants to be friends, just not BEST friends), and scraped up all the delicious brown bits in the bottom of the skillet.  Next, stir in a teaspoon of flour followed by 3/4 cup of half and half.  Stir well and watch this beautiful sauce start to come together...

The paprika not only adds a little smoky flavor, but gives this a gorgeous creamy pumpkin color.  Now kick it up... add 2 teaspoons of lemon zest, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and a teaspoon fresh thyme leaves.  Return the chicken to the skillet and warm through.  Sprinkle on some sliced scallions and you are good to go!

I topped it with some sliced heirloom cherry tomatoes (any excuse to work those babies into a dish while they're in season) and served it over brown rice,. I think that the rice was a little heavy and took away from the bright, fresh flavor of the sauce; I would rather see it simply served over a bed of baby spinach.  Good thing I have leftovers.

Lemony Goodness

I was over at my sister Michelle's house the other day, and her lemon tree was BEGGING me to pick some of the gorgeous, huge Meyer lemons from it.  I am a sucker for lemons... I put slices in my water and tea, juice them in salad dressings, add zest in all kinds of dishes.  Lemons are a great substitute for salt in cooking, they help neutralize flavor if you've made something too sweet or too salty, and whenever I think a dish needs "a little something", lemon does the trick; it naturally brightens food.  If you haven't tried adding lemon zest to your repertoire, you need to do it...next time you're cooking seafood add a little zest to it and you'll be sold, I promise.  And then, unless your thumb is greener than mine (or you can afford a gardener) you're going to suffer from...

...Citrus Envy.  When I see a tree like the one at Michelle's or the ones allllllll over my neighborhood, taunting me on my daily walks with my dog, I get definite citrus envy.  I've contemplated waiting til dark, putting on my camouflage gear (no, not really - all black would be fine) and comandeering a few of the neighbors' lonely lemons, but a friend once told me that he chased a lady down the street who was pilfering his tree, and I don't want any part of that action.  I have a sad little dwarf lemon tree that my friend Nancy gave me years ago.  It blossomed beautifully the first year and I watched as a few lemons popped up.  I was waiting until they were good and plump, then one day I walked into the yard and......they were gone!  Some critter climbed the fence and stole my lemons.  It must've scared the poor tree, because it never produced another lemon again (although my mother says something about watering and fertilizer??)

So with my legally obtained lemons I made a yummy lemon herb cream sauce, with lemon thyme, parsley and chives from my yard.  I added Swiss chard (spinach or kale would be good, too), garlic, onions and tomatoes I picked up from the farmers' maket today.  I'm a big "one pot" girl...I like to put as many veggies into simple things, so I can avoid making a side dish or a salad.  Only one pot to clean is a bonus.

I tossed the sauce with Trader Joe's spinach and chive linguini - my new fave - but regular linguini would be just fine.  Best of all, it comes together in about 15 minutes...my kind of meal.

Linguini with Lemon-Herb Cream

Serves 4

8 ounces linguini

2 teaspoons olive oil

¼ cup finely diced red onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 teaspoon lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoon juice (from 1-2 lemons)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 cup half-and-half

2 cups Swiss chard, stems removes and leaves chopped

1/3 cup quartered kalamata olives

½ cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon chopped chives

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta according to instructions on package.  Be sure to reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid to add to the sauce if necessary.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium.  Add onion and garlic and sauté 3-4 minutes.  Add thyme, parsley, lemon zest, salt, pepper and half-and-half.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally for 5-8 minutes.  Add Swiss chard and kalamata olives, cooking for 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add stir in the lemon juice.  Immediately add drained pasta, tossing to coat.  Use some of the reserved pasta water if necessary to create adequate amount of sauce.  Garnish with tomatoes and chopped chives.