Baked Salmon with Tarragon Lemon Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 8-10oz Salmon Filets

1/2 cup white wine

4 TBS Butter

2 TBS Lemon Juice

½ TBS Lemon Zest

2 teaspoons dried tarragon

3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 TBS of the butter.

Drizzle the bottom of a casserole dish or pan with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Brush the melted butter over the filets and add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake about 20-25 minutes until edges turn golden, salmon is pink and slightly firm to the touch.

Meanwhile while the fish is cooking, melt 1 TBS of the butter in the saucepan, add in the wine, tarragon, lemon juice and mustard. Bring to a low boil, whisking well to combine and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and mix in the remaining TBS of butter.

Serve over brown rice, pour the sauce over the filets, sprinkle on the lemon zest and add a little slick of lemon for garnish.

Breast of Chicken in a Light Lemon and Herb Sauce

“Involtini di Pollo al Salmoriglio”
From: Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen

Yield : Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 5 ounces each)
½ cup fine, dry bread crumbs
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1½ teaspoons dried oregano, preferably the Sicilian or Greek type dried on the branch, crumbled
Salt
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup Chicken Stock or canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
4 cloves garlic, peeled


Directions:

Cut each chicken-breast half in half crosswise on a diagonal, to yield two pieces of roughly equal size. Place two pieces at a time between two sheets of plastic wrap. Pound gently with the flat side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a small, heavy saucepan to flatten them slightly, to about ½ inch thick.

Toss the bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the chopped parsley, 1/ 2 teaspoon of the oregano, and salt to taste together in a bowl until blended. Spread 1 teaspoon of bread-crumb mixture over each piece of chicken, reserving the remaining crumbs. Roll each chicken piece into a compact shape with the bread crumbs running in a spiral through the center and fasten securely with a toothpick.

Preheat the oven to 475° F.
Arrange the filled chicken breasts side by side in a 13× 9-inch, preferably flameproof baking dish. (There should be some space between the pieces of chicken.) Stir the wine, stock, lemon juice, hot pepper, the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, the remaining teaspoon of oregano, and salt to taste together in a small bowl. Pour into the baking dish. Whack the garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife and scatter them among the chicken pieces. Bake 10 minutes.

Top the chicken with the remaining bread-crumb mixture. Return to the oven and bake until the bread-crumb topping is golden brown, about 5 minutes.

If the roasting pan is flameproof, place it directly over medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and bring the pan juices to a boil. Boil until lightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. (If the roasting pan is not flameproof, transfer the chicken rolls to a warm platter and pour the juices into a skillet before bringing them to a boil.) Remove the garlic cloves, or leave them in if you like. Gently transfer the chicken pieces to plates with a slotted spoon. Pull the toothpicks from the chicken without loosening the bread-crumb topping.

Pour the sauce around, not over, the chicken pieces, and serve immediately.

Pork Chops in Creamy Mushroom and Onion Sauce

Ingredients:

8 Boneless Pork Cutlets
1 can condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup Mix
Also: 1 Can full of milk
2 TBS Minced Onion (or onion flakes)
½ cup flour
½ TBS Parsley
1 Chicken Bouillon cube
½ cup water, more or less
2 TBS Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 TBS Butter or margerine
Salt, Pepper, Paprika
Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

In a pie dish whisk together the flour and season it with Salt, Pepper and Paprika to taste. Dredge the cutlets in the flour mixture, shake off any excess.

Brown the cutlets in the vegetable oil in a large Sauté’ pan. Remove and set aside. Drain oil from the pan, put heat on medium. Add the butter, soup mix and milk, whisking to blend evenly. Add in the bouillon cube and a little water to get the sauce to the desired consistency. Stir in minced onion and Paprika.

Add the pork cutlets back to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add in about 1 TBS of Parmesan cheese and Parsley.

Serve with some Orzo cooked with chicken broth and herbs of preference.

Steamed Clams Italian Style

Ingredients:

2 cups Chicken Broth
2 TBS chopped Garlic
1 TBS Parsley
2 TBS Butter
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 TBS Lemon Zest
6 Slices of Lemon


Directions:

Melt butter in large, deep sauce pan on Medium High. Add in the Chicken Broth, Garlic and Lemon Juice.
Sauté’ fo 2-3 minutes. Bring to a boil, add the clams, toss in the Lemon slices, Lemon Zest and Parsley on top and cover.
Keep lid on until you see that the clams have all opened. Discard any that do not open. Transfer to a warm platter and pour all the juices over the top.

Steak Diane

Adapted from The Joy of Cooking


Heat a large, heavy skillet (I use cast iron) over medium high heat. Add 1 TBL olive oil. Season steaks with salt and pepper and saute in pan for 5 minutes on each side for medium rare (less time for rare and more for medium). Remove steaks from pan and allow to rest while you make the sauce.

Return the pan to medium high heat and add 2 TBL butter until melted. Add 1/2 cup chopped shallots (mushrooms if using) and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Stir in:

1/4 cup beef stock
1/4 cup brandy or white wine
1 TBL dijon mustard
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup sliced mushrooms *optional*

Boil for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate all of that steaky goodness into the sauce. Add any juices that have accumulated on the steak platter.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1-2 TBL cream or half and half.

Pour sauce over steaks and garnish with some chopped parsley.

Enjoy with some potatoes, asparagus, and a nice glass of red.