Goldy's Kitchen Cookbook (17 page)

Since Trudy, Goldy's next-door neighbor, had managed to stay alive and unheralded through all of the books up to
Double Shot,
I decided to name a recipe after her. As with André's Coq au Vin (
here
), I realized that preparing the sauce first, then sautéing the chicken, was the way to go
.

For the sauce:

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onions and immediately reduce the heat to low. Stir and cook the onions for 1 minute, then add the garlic. Stir and cook over low heat until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato juice, sherry, salt, and paprika. Stir and cook until the mixture bubbles. Cover and keep over low heat while you prepare the chicken breasts.

For the chicken:

1.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.

2.
Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breasts on a sheet of plastic wrap. Cover with a second sheet of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken breasts to an even ½-inch thickness. Remove the plastic wrap.

3.
On a large plate, whisk together the flour, salt, and paprika. Dip the chicken breasts one at a time into the mixture, until they are completely dusted.

4.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, just until it shimmers. Place the chicken in the pan and cook until seared on each side, about 1½ minutes per side. Place the chicken in the baking dish. Pour the hot sauce over it. Place in the oven and cook
just
until the chicken is done, about 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into one of the pieces of chicken reads 160˚F. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Assuming you pound the chicken in advance and assemble all your ingredients, chicken piccata is a delicious dish that works well for company. For reasons I have never understood, recipes including pressed, chopped, or minced garlic often say you should sauté it.
Sauter
literally means “to jump,” and if the oil in your sauté pan is hot enough to make the garlic jump, you're just going to end up with burnt garlic. In my opinion, garlic should never be sautéed, but should be cooked gently and thoroughly without browning (the technical term is “sweated”) over low heat. Again, the most important aspect of this or any other chicken dish is not to overcook it. Finally, traditional chicken piccata usually calls for lemon juice, but repeated testings made the family say they liked lime better. Up to you.

1.
Place the chicken breasts on a sheet of plastic wrap. Cover with a second sheet of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken breasts to an even ½-inch thickness. In a shallow plate, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the pounded chicken breasts in the seasoned flour and set aside.

2.
In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, put in two of the chicken breasts and sauté for about 1½ minutes per side, until the
outside is nicely browned but the interior of the chicken is still very slightly pink. Remove the pieces to a plate and repeat with the other two chicken breasts and another tablespoon of oil. Set aside.

3.
Reduce the heat under the sauté pan to low. When the heat is low, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the garlic. Cook the garlic very gently (“sweating” it) for several minutes, until it is very soft and cooked through.
Do not burn the garlic.

4.
Add the scallions, lime juice, vermouth, and butter to the pan. Increase the heat to medium, stirring constantly. Once the butter is melted, continue to cook and stir for a bit longer to reduce the sauce slightly. Keeping the heat up, return the chicken to the pan and cook until the chicken has
just
cooked through (check that there is no pink, uncooked center by cutting into one piece), 2 or 3 more minutes.

5.
Place the chicken on a heated serving platter. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Like Chilean sea bass and balsamic vinegar, portobello mushrooms are an ingredient that swept into this country about twenty years ago, a fabulous blessing.

For marinating the chicken:

Place the chicken in a 9 x 13-inch glass pan. Mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and garlic and pour over the chicken pieces. Cover and set aside to marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours. When you are ready to prepare the dish, remove the chicken from the refrigerator.

For marinating the mushrooms:

1.
Carefully clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel and trim the ends of the stems. Remove and chop the stems. Place the mushroom caps, tops
down,
as well as the chopped stems, in another 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the sherry over the gill side of each mushroom cap. Pour the remaining 4 tablespoons each olive oil and sherry over the stems. Cover and set aside to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

2.
Preheat a grill. Grill the chicken quickly, 1 to 2 minutes per side (they will be cooked further).

3.
Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

4.
Carefully spread 1 tablespoon pesto over the gill side of each mushroom cap. Sprinkle 1½ teaspoons sun-dried tomatoes on top of the pesto. Evenly distribute the marinated mushroom stems on top of the sun-dried tomatoes. Place 2 slices of chicken on top.

5.
Place the stuffed mushrooms in the baking pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is done and the mushrooms are heated through. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

It was a great day when I discovered the magic of fermented black beans, used here in the form of black bean sauce.

1.
In a glass pie plate, thoroughly mix the egg white, cornstarch, sherry, soy sauce, onion, and garlic. Place the chicken pieces in this mixture, cover, and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. When you are ready to prepare the dish, remove the chicken from the refrigerator.

2.
In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Add the marinated chicken and stir-fry for several minutes, until it is just done.
Do not overcook the chicken.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

3.
Reheat the pan over high heat and add ½ cup spring water. Quickly stir up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then add the asparagus, water chestnuts, and black bean sauce. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat until the asparagus is bright green but
still crunchy, 2 to 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and stir over medium-high heat until the mixture is heated through. Season to taste with pepper. Serve immediately over hot rice.

Makes 4 servings

Note:
  
If you cannot find black bean sauce in the Asian foods section of your local grocery store, the grocery manager should be able to order it for you. The brand I use is Ka-Me. I ceased being frustrated by its frequent unavailability at my local store once I started ordering it by the case. Order forms are usually available at the customer service desk; the order generally takes about two weeks to a month to fill. Ordering by the case usually means you will receive a discount.

Like pork, chickens have been bred to be lower in fat, and the dish usually offered to the poor dieter is—alas—dry, leathery chicken breast. But white chicken can be lovely, if it is brined and roasted, skin on, and not overcooked. I was just playing around with brines when I came up with this dish, and Jim insisted it go into a book. Originally I had the chicken topped with dried tarragon, but we also like it with thyme.

1.
In a large nonreactive or glass bowl, mix together the buttermilk, cream, salt, and sugar and stir until dissolved. Pat the chicken dry, then place it in the buttermilk mixture. Make sure all the pieces are completely submerged. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight.

2.
When you are ready to start on the chicken, take it out of the refigerator and allow it to come to room termperature.

3.
Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.

4.
Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the buttermilk mixture), rinse under running water, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken, skin side up, in the baking dish, being careful not to crowd the pieces.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Crush the thyme or tarragon between your fingers and sprinkle it evenly over the chicken.

5.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken, not touching the bone, reads 160˚F. Bring the chicken out of the oven, tent with foil for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the juices to reabsorb, and serve.

Makes 4 to 5 servings

Goldy gives Arch the background on why people in Mexico would eat “Swiss” enchiladas: It is because of the presence of the Sanborn coffee shops in Mexico, which serve dairy-rich dishes favored by the frequent Swiss tourists. Our daughter-in-law, Rosa, gave me her mother's recipe for tortillas, and I tried making them for this dish. The tortillas were delicious, but I simply couldn't get them thin enough to roll around the filling. So I repeatedly put the filling between the tortillas, and ended up with what looked like a very tall stack of pancakes. I thought it tasted delicious, but the family said that slices from the stack were too hard to eat. So with the veto, I went back to grocery-bought corn tortillas, which the family proclaimed superior to my thick creations. Oh, well. This dish is now such a family favorite that our (grown) children ask for it, if they're coming over for their birthday.

1.
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Have ready a large plate and 13 absorbent paper towels. Fold the paper towels into quarters.

2.
Overlap the tortillas in two large (9 x 13 inches or larger) pans, so that as much of the surfaces of the tortillas is showing as possible. Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the tortillas in both pans. (You may have to use your hands or a pastry brush to spread the oil evenly over the tortillas.) Place the pans in the oven and allow the tortillas to soften for about 5 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and check that the tortillas are softened by using tongs to lift up one of them. (You want them soft and pliable. If they are
not yet soft, put the pans back in the oven for a couple of minutes. You do not want to cook the tortillas through, which will harden them.) When the tortillas are just cool enough to touch, place one of the folded towels on a plate. Using tongs, place one tortilla on the folded towel. Place another folded towel on top of the tortilla and press lightly to absorb excess oil. Continue with remaining tortillas. Set aside. (Leave the oven on.)

For the filling:

In a large bowl, stir together the chicken, crema or sour cream, Cheddar, and salt until blended. Set aside.

For the sauce:

In a large skillet, heat the oil over low heat. Add the onions and cook for a minute, stirring. Add the garlic and stir. Continue to cook and stir over low heat until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chiles, and oregano. Simmer this mixture over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, and spoon into a 4-cup measuring cup. You should have 3 cups of sauce. If you do not have 3 full cups, add the canned tomato sauce to make 3 cups.

Assemble the dish:

1.
Butter a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish.

2.
To fill the enchiladas, place each tortilla on a flat surface and scoop ¼ cup of the chicken-cheese filling into the center. Using your fingers or a spoon, shape the filling into a cylinder in the center of the tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place it, seam side down, in the baking dish. Continue until all the tortillas are rolled up.

3.
Spoon the sauce over the enchiladas. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the center of the enchiladas is steaming hot. (Check with a spoon to make sure the center enchilada is very hot.) Serve with sour cream on the side, if desired.

Makes 12 enchiladas

Note:
  
Measure the actual contents of the can of diced tomatoes. Depending on the brand, you may need more than one can in order to get 1¾ cups.