By Estella Tullgren
Photographs by Deb Peterson
This issue has recipes for an entire meal. I was craving summer veggies with a delicious chicken dish. Try all of these together—you’ll love the flavors. Enjoy!
Chicken with Marsala Sauce
Serves 2
This chicken dish has a delicious flavor—the sweet Marsala wine is terrific. Many times when I make a dish with sauce, I double the sauce ingredients so there is enough for everyone. I did so with this recipe and it worked out perfectly.
2 tablespoons butter
1 sprig thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced (may also use button mushrooms)
Salt & pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sweet Marsala wine
¼ cup heavy cream
Melt butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the thyme and let it heat through; then add the garlic and the sliced mushrooms. Season the entire pan lightly with salt and pepper, and cook until mushrooms begin to brown and crisp—about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Meanwhile, pound the chicken breasts with a mallet until about ½ inch thick. Dredge each piece in flour and shake off the excess. If the chicken pieces are too large in diameter after flattened, cut in half so the pieces will be more manageable.
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in the non-stick pan. Add the floured chicken breasts and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. If pieces are large, the chicken may have to be cooked in two batches. Keep pieces covered on a plate until all has been cooked; then put all pieces back in pan. Add the wine and let it start to reduce, add the mushroom, garlic and thyme mixture to the chicken, along with the heavy cream. Cook over medium heat until the cream has reduced and thickened. Remove the chicken from the pan to individual plates and top with the remaining sauce.
Frenchy Potato Salad with Arugula and Dijon Viniagrette
Serves 6
This potato salad is wonderful. The addition of the chopped arugula gives it a very fresh taste. It is at its best when served warm.
2 pounds new potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces (peeled or not peeled)
Salt
½ small red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 cups arugula, stems removed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
5 tablespoons olive oil
Put potatoes in large pot with salt and bring to a boil over high. Then lower temp to a simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl.
Toss warm potatoes with rice vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add chives, arugula and chopped red onion.
Whisk red wine vinegar, mustard and olive oil in small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over potato mixture and toss. Serve warm.
Tomato Basil Caprese Salad
This is what summer tomatoes mean to me. Rarely does a day go by that I miss having a glorious tomato…yellow, red, purple, striped…they are all a bit of heaven to me. This salad is so simple and one of my personal favorites.
1-2 tomatoes per person, depending on size of tomato, sliced ¼ inch thick
Fresh mozzarella, sliced ¼ inch thick
Fresh basil, sliced in strips (this is called chiffonade)
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
Alternately layer the tomatoes and mozzarella, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Scatter the strips of basil over everything and it is ready to serve. The. Best.
Blueberry and Peach Rustic Tart
Serves 4
At our house, pie is the dessert of choice, but sometimes our schedules don’t allow for the whole process. There is always time for this rustic tart. Use your favorite fruit or combination of fruits and this dessert can be ready in 15 minutes. Of course, adding freshly whipped cream or ice cream makes it even better!
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
1 9-inch pie crust, either your own favorite recipe or a store bought crust
3 cups sliced fresh peaches and blueberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
If you prefer, peel peaches and slice into small pieces. Put in a bowl and add blueberries to make a total of 3 cups. Sprinkle sugar and cornstarch on top of fruit and toss to mix well. Set aside.
Place rolled out pie crust on a lightly greased baking sheet. Dump fruit in the middle (use a spoon to flatten out the filling a little) and leave a couple of inches to pull up and pleat the outer edges over the fruit. You will see the middle of the tart as it will not have crust covering the fruit. Mix egg with water and whisk until well blended. Brush over crust lightly with a pastry brush.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the tart has a golden crust and you see little bubbles forming from the fruit filling. M! August/September 2015
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