( I normally would try this at home and write about the recipe, but lacking the necessary ingredients, I decided just to relive the memory, and tell you about what I had for lunch the other day.

It was freaking fantastic. )

We went to A&S Fine Foods – an upscale Italian deli near where I work.  As soon as I walked in, my senses were assaulted with the aromas I have come to love – garlic, onion, the oh-so-lovely smell of cooking sausages. 

There was so much to choose from – Stuffed Peppers, freshly made Polenta, rice balls, orzo and pine nut salad, red pepper, roasted garlic & garbanzo sauce, 20 different salads, 15 different entrees, enough different varieties of breads to keep your lunch different every day for 2 months, fresh pasta drying on racks, aging sausages hanging, plus 100’s of Italian delicacies – Imported olive oils (of types I have never seen, hand wrapped in paper), anchovies, sauces, spreads –—you name it, it was there.  There were different types of beef, chicken, lamb, and 4 or 5 different fish, all ready to eat, plus beautiful cuts of beef – porterhouse, rib eyes, strips, chops just waiting to be grilled.. I was drooling and I had only been in the place for 20 seconds. 

The woman I went with, being pregnant and hungry for everything, came away with sliced Soppressata (pronounced Super Sotta), sliced provolone cheese, a 9 inch round roll of bastone bread, roasted pepper dip, baked ziti, rice balls smothered in a rich tomato sauce, and a 2 pound roll of freshly made mozzarella. 

I ended up choosing a daily special for lunch – it had just come out for serving, and was steaming hot.

The bottom layer was a marinated-grilled portobello mushroom, topped with sautéed spinach and garlic.  The next layer was a thick (1 inch thick), spicy Italian sausage.  To top it off, was a thick slice of polenta which had been grilled with garlic & oil, and then topped with melted mozzarella.  There was enough for both lunch and dinner, and once I finished every last bit, I wished I for more. 

Though I probably won’t ever make this at home – not for just my son and I, I cannot get the flavor and texture of the excellent polenta out of my mind.  I plan to make some polenta this week, and experiment with flavors.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.

The very first time I had Chicken Piccata, I was just amazed at how delicious it was.  The lemon was not over-powering, or over-acidic, and the butter added to the depth of flavor.  I have since had many versions of this recipe — some so acidic they were downright unpalatable, some with so much added butter that the chicken seemed to be floating in it.  Or perhaps there were so many different ingredients that the delicate flavors of the chicken, lemon and shallot were completely overwhelmed.

This particular recipe is quick and simple — full of lemon flavor, but not overpowering.  This should take no more than 15-20 minutes, from start to finish.  A quick evening meal that I usually serve with linguine (this recipe, in particular), and some good bastone italian bread.

The term “piccata” is defined as a thin slice meat – veal, beef, pork or chicken, with lemon and caper sauce.

Some people either don’t care for capers, or don’t have access to them. Replace them with black olives – not necessarily for the taste, but for the texture.

Enjoy!! 

Chicken Piccata

2 Lemons
4 chicken breasts, boneless (about 1.5-2 pounds) – sliced thin
1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chicken stock or white wine (not a sweet wine — use Pinot Grigio, or similar)
capers
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons parsley, minced (optional)

Heat the oven to 200 Fahrenheit.

Halve one of the lemons from tip to bottom lengthwise (from pole to pole), and then cut 1/2 of the lemon into thin slices and set aside.  Juice the other half, as well as the remaining lemon.

Salt and pepper the chicken breasts, and then coat the chicken in flour, shaking to remove any excess flour. 

Heat a skillet to medium-high heat and then add 2 tablespoons of the oil.  Saute the cutlets — don’t move them — about 2-2.5 minutes on each side.  Then move them to the oven.  Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and then saute the remaining cutlets as before.

Once the chicken is cooked and in the oven, add the shallot and garlic to the pan.  Saute for about 20 seconds, and then add the stock and sliced lemon.  Heat on high, and stir, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get all the good bits mixed in.  Reduce this to about 1/3 (should take less than 5 minutes), and then add the lemon juice, a tablespoon or so of capers (or not, if you don’t care for them, replacing with black olives if you have them), and then reduce this to about 1/3 again — should take less than 2 minutes.  Take the pan off the heat, and stir in the softened butter, and stir until melted.  This will thicken the sauce a bit. Add the parsley. 

Remove the chicken from the oven and pour the sauce over the chicken.

This recipe serves 6 easily, so I halved it for tonight’s dinner.  I also didn’t have any fresh parsley nor basil, so I used the dried I had in the cupboard.  I used 1/4 teaspoon of each.  I should have used 1 teaspoon of basil.  Add it in about 10-15 minutes before you are ready to serve, so the herbs have time to re-hydrate, and flavor the soup.

Enjoy!

For those that are not familiar with orzo, it is a regular semolina pasta, shaped like rice, but not made from rice.

Sausage and Orzo Soup

1 pound of Italian sausage
2 carrots, shredded or grated
1 onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 can of tomatoes, chopped (with the juice)(a 28 oz can)
6 cups of chicken stock (if not making your own, use low-sodium)
1/2 cup orzo pasta
1/4 cup parsley (Italian, if possible), chopped
1/4 cup basil, cut in chiffonade
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt & pepper to taste

In your soup pot, cook the sausage until browned and then remove, cutting into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces.

Add the carrots, onion, garlic and celery and sauté.  There is usually enough oil left in the pan from the sausage, but if not, add a tablespoon.  Once the vegetables are sauteed, add the tomatoes and chicken stock, and simmer on medium for 15-20 minutes.

Return the sausage to the pot and continue to simmer.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo until it’s al-dente.

Add the parsley, salt & pepper, and red pepper flakes. 

Serve soup over the orzo, and garnish with the fresh basil.

You can also cook the orzo in the soup, if you like.  There is enough liquid to allow for the cooking.  After you put the sausage back into the pot, add the orzo and cook about 20 minutes on a low boil, until the orzo is done. 

Notes:

If you cook the pasta in a different pot, you’ll be able to freeze this soup easily.  Also, if you don’t add the pasta to the soup, it will not absorb all the broth of the soup.

If you don’t have orzo pasta, use your favorite rice.  This is really good with wild rice.

This recipe is nice in summer, when you can pick the basil from the garden, or get it fresh from the market.

Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic and Basil Pasta Sauce

1 roasted garlic bulb
1 minced clove garlic (raw)
1/3 cup butter, cut into small pieces to soften
1/3 cup olive oil
1 handfull basil, chopped or as a chiffonade
Salt and Pepper to taste (kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper)
1 pound linguini, cooked al-dente
1/4 cup shredded cheese — parmesean, romano, asagio

Add roasted garlic paste, raw garlic, butter (softened), oil, salt and pepper to pasta bowl and mash together lightly — enough to mix the garlic and butter into everything.

Add basil and mix lightly again, reserving a small bit of basil for garnish.

Pour hot cooked pasta over sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, and garnish with basil.

Place the ground pork into a very large bowl. Season with salt, garlic salt, black pepper and paprika. In a blender or food processor, blend together the oil, anise seed, fennel seed and red pepper flakes. Mix everything into the ground pork until well blended – (And ?NO!! A spoon isn?t going to work!! You have hands and fingers – use them!!?).

Refrigerate for 24 hours to let flavors meld. Wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.

*Note – to make this ?sweet?, do not add the red pepper flakes.