I’ve been leaning more and more towards eggs as a quick meal, especially with the girls laying regularly nowadays. This is one of my simple go-to’s–meaty roasted asparagus spears topped with a luscious poached egg and crispy prosciutto. If you want to go meatless, saute some mushrooms and shallots in lieu of the prosciutto … mmmm.
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Panini are the upscale Italian cousins to the average Joe grilled cheese sandwich, and these panini, made with pear and prosciutto are a perfect match with creamy soups. Feel free to mix up the cheese; I like to add a generous grind of pepper on top of the pears before topping too. You can use any type of pear you like, but Anjou pear’s sweet, citrusy tang pairs well with the goat cheese. If your pears don’t yield slightly to a squeeze, ripen them on the counter for a few days.
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Alison and I got to talking about chicken the other day and were reminiscing how, when she was my editor at Cooking Light, readers couldn’t get enough of stuffed chicken breasts. And then we remembered why. They’re moist and tasty, quite elegant-looking, and cook faster than you’d think. Because they’re “beefed up” by the stuffing, you can easily serve four with only two breast halves.
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs thyme
1/4 cup white wine
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 slices Swiss or ementaller cheese, each sliced in half
4 thin slices prosciutto
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and swirl in 1 tablespoon oil. Add mushrooms, shallot, garlic and thyme, and saute 5 minutes or until mushrooms are golden brown. Pour wine into pan and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, remove thyme stems and transfer mushrooms to a bowl. Wipe out the pan.
Holding a sharp knife parallel to the cutting board and starting from the thick side of a chicken breast half, slice the chicken horizontally right down the middle so that it opens like a book (I like to “open” the flap about halfway in and then carefully continue slicing towards the center until the breast lays flat). Give the thick edges a few hits with your palm to flatten them out to an equal height (don’t worry, the chicken won’t bite–just wash your hands afterwards). When you’re done, you should have a fat, heart-shaped chicken breast half at a uniform thickness of about an inch. Repeat with the other chicken breast half.
Layer the cheese and then the prosciutto evenly on top of the chicken breasts. Mound half of the mushrooms on one side of a chicken breast and press the mound down gently with your hand. Fold the other side over the mushrooms and push two wooden toothpicks through the far edges to help keep them together. Repeat with the other breast. Lightly salt and pepper both sides.
Heat the skillet once again over medium-high heat and swirl in the remaining olive oil. Carefully place chicken breasts in pan. Cook for 3 minutes on one side, then turn (keep the seam side down in the pan so the stuffing doesn’t fall out–tongs work great) and cook 3 minutes on the other. Pour chicken broth into pan, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for another 6 minutes, or until chicken is cooked all the way through.
To serve, transfer chicken to a cutting board with tongs and cut each breast in half. Turn up the heat on the pan and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom. Place one portion of chicken on each plate and drizzle with pan sauce.
Serves 4
I had a fantastic sandwich from Cowgirl Creamery while in Point Reyes, CA, this weekend that reignited my love of sandwiches … in particular, topless ones called “tartines.” I made this one with leftover Red Hawk from my visit, along with luscious figs picked up en route. Drizzling the fig with honey and popping it under the broiler gives it an impromptu jammy quality; especially good paired with gooey cheese and crisp prosciutto.
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Pearled barley yields a creamy, toothsome risotto. And here’s your language lesson for the day: The Italian word for barley is orzo (not to be confused with the rice-shaped pasta of the same name), and risotto made with barley is called orzotto. Yes, we probably should call this orzotto, but most people will think of this as risotto. In any case, it’s delicious by any name. This recipe also would be tasty with pearled farro (labeled farro perlato) if you find it at gourmet markets, in which case, this would be farrotto.
1 cup pearled barley
3-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
Sea salt, to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ounce prosciutto, chopped
1 cup shelled fresh English peas (about 1 pound in pod) OR 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus additional shaved cheese for garnish
Place barley in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water by 1-1/2 inches. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 8-12 hours.
When ready to begin cooking, place stock in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer (don’t boil). Drain barley, spread on a clean kitchen towel and blot dry.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and a pinch of salt, and cook 2 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add barley and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine and cook 3 minutes, until wine is absorbed. Add 3 cups warm stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook at a low boil for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender and creamy.
While barley cooks, heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto and cook 5 minutes or until crispy. Remove prosciutto from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Raise heat to medium. Add peas and remaining 1/2 cup warm stock to pan for 5 minutes or until peas are tender and stock evaporates.
Stir peas and grated cheese into barley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with prosciutto and shaved cheese..
Serves 4
This pasta recipe is springtime in a bowl–use the freshest asparagus you can find. You’ll be amazed by how much richness and flavor just one egg yolk can bring to a dish.
1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup water
Sea salt, to taste
1-1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and sliced on the bias into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced and then sliced crosswise into narrow ribbons
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Prepare pasta according to package directions, cutting back 2 minutes on cooking time. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
While pasta is cooking, bring 1/4 cup salted water to a boil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes or until asparagus is just crisp-tender. Drain into a colander and return pan to heat.
Swirl in oil and when hot, add garlic and prosciutto. Sauté for 1 minute and add asparagus back to pan. Continue cooking another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until asparagus just begins to char in places and garlic and prosciutto have crisped.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons reserved pasta water, egg yolk, Parmesan cheese and chicken stock.
Return drained pasta to pot over medium-low heat. Add egg mixture and toss. Add asparagus mixture, salt to taste and toss again. Cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and starts to stick to pasta, adding additional pasta water by tablespoon intervals if sauce seems dry. Toss with parsley just before serving.
Serves 4
