Olive-Stuffed Chicken with Almonds

I'm on spring break this week, and hope to catch up on some blogging. I'm pulling out of my anti-food funk, and am getting back into cooking and baking. Whew! I was worried, as these are two of my favorite past times.

I found the recipe a while ago in Gourmet magazine. It was an entry for their column, "5 Ingredients or Less." It's quick, tasty, and easy to throw together. For once, I don't use a non-stick skillet when cooking this. I find that a regular skillet browns the meat better, giving it a nicer appearance.

The original recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts, with the skin on. I changed this, since it's near impossible to find skin-on boneless chicken, and chicken breasts these days are incredibly large. I halved each breast, making a more realistic sized portion of protein. I also added one extra ingredient (the olive oil), but I don't think it makes the recipe any more complicated.

I'm trying to eat more fresh vegetables, so I had a side of sliced tomatoes.

Olive-Stuffed Chicken with Almonds

adapted from Elizabeth Vought Greene

Gourmet, April 2001

3 boneless chicken breast halves, skinned

1 1/2 c brined green olives, pitted and chopped

2 Tbs unsalted butter

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c whole almonds with skin, roughly chopped

2 Tbs fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Pat chicken breasts dry. Halve breasts. Cut a 2-inch long horizontal slit into the thickest part of each piece. Stuff with 1 Tbs olives, then season with salt and pepper.

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add chicken. Saute until browned on bottom, about 6 minutes. Turn chicken over and add the remaining olives. Cover and cook until chicken is just cooked through, about 7-8 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.

Add 2 Tbs water to skillet and deglaze the pan. Add almonds and parsley, and saute for 2 minutes, until almonds are toasted. Season with black pepper. Spoon over the chicken, and serve.

Strawberry Cupcakes

Strawberries are in season right now, and we found a place nearby where you can pick your own. We came back with a flat of the stronger flavor/less sweet kind (good for jams and baked goods), and four pints of the super sweet/weaker flavor kind (good for eating as is.) The sweeter ones have been accompanying my cereal every morning. The others went to make these cupcakes.

I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website. Based on the user comments, I decided to substitute the all-purpose flour for cake flour. The cupcakes came out light and full of strawberry flavor. The cream cheese filling was tangy and not too sweet.

Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes
adapted from Candace Nelson's recipe
as seen on marthastewart.com

2/3 c whole fresh strawberries, rinsed
1 1/2 c cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1/4 c whole milk, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg whites, room temperature


Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners; set aside.

Place strawberries in a small food processor, process until pureed. You should have about 1/2 c puree. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree.

In another bowl, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat untill well combined and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.

With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the strawberry mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until just blended.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake until tops are just dry to the touch - about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely. Ice and decorate as desired.

Thai Beef Salad

I still haven't been in much of a mood for eating or blogging, but I'm starting to pull out of it. J has been helping with that, taking over a lot of the dinner duties. One thing I did crave over the past few weeks was this beef salad. It's easy to put together, very flavorful, and healthy. Oranges are in season right now, so they tasted especially sweet. The citrus from them paired well with the beef.

I used a mixture of soy sauce and fish sauce, to cut down on the saltiness. A side of rice rounded out the dish.

Thai Beef Salad

adapted from Eating Well, September/October 1991

as seen on foodnetwork.com

1 1/2 Tbs fish sauce

1 1/2 Tbs reduced sodium soy sauce

3 Tbs brown sugar

3 c shredded lettuce

1 Tbs canola oil, divided

1 lb sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and sliced thinly

1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 oranges, peeled

1/4 c fresh mint and cilantro, chopped

1 tomato, cut into chunks

1/2 medium cucumber, sliced into rounds

2 Tbs chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Stir together fish sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.

Arrange lettuce on a platter. Roughly chop one of the oranges. Slice the other orange, or peel into segments.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir-fry beef, in batches, until just browned on the outside and pink on the inside. Spoon over lettuce.

Add remaining 1 tsp oil to the pan. Cook jalepeno, onion, and garlic, stirring until softened. Add fish sauce mixture and bring to a boil, stirring. Remove from heat and stir in chopped orange, cilantro, and tomato. Spoon over the lettuce and beef. Sprinkle peanuts over the top. Garnish with orange slices and cucumber slices. Serve warm.

Chicken Cutlets with Porcini Sauce

I was incredibly busy the past week, and did not feel totally well, which made me fall behind a bit on blogging. We made this dish last week, after seeing it in our latest issue of Cooks Illustrated. Hubs did most of the work on the chicken, while I took care of the mushrooms and the sauce. It was a good tag-team effort. The result was delicious.

Chicken Cutlets with Porcini Sauce

adapted from Cooks Illustrated, March & April 2009

3/4 oz dried porcini mushrooms

1 c low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 c plus 1 tsp flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, tenderloin removed, trimmed of excess fat, and pounded flat

2 Tbs plus 1 tsp vegetable oil

1 small shallot, minced

1/4 c dry vermouth

1 tsp tomato paste

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

1 Tbs unsalted butter

1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Rinse porcini mushrooms in a large bowl of water. Agitate them to release dirt. Let dirt settle to the bottom, and lift mushrooms from water. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Add chicken broth, and microwave on high for 3 minutes, until broth is steaming. Let stand 10 minutes. Gently lift mushrooms out of broth and transfer to a cutting board, reserving broth. Chop mushrooms roughly.

Combine 1/4 c of flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking gently to remove excess. Set aside.

Heat 1 Tbs oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Working in batches, place cutlets in the skillet and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until second sides are opaque, 15-20 seconds. Transfer to large plate. Using another 1 Tbs of oil, cook remainder of chicken. Tent plate of chicken loosely with foil.

Add remaining 1 tsp oil to empty skillet. Add shallot and cook until softened, about 30 seconds. Add remaining 1 tsp of flour and cook. whisking constantly, for 30 seconds. Add vermouth, porcini mushrooms, reserved broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, and sugar. Simmer 5 minutes, until reduced a little.

Place cutlets to skillet. Cover and simmer until cutlets are heated through, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and transfer to a serving platter. Whisk butter, thyme, and lemon juice into the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.