Recipe: Sautéed Chicken and Pasta with a Leek and Onion Cream Sauce

So, I picked up leeks a little while ago with plans to make my Fettuccine and Sweet Italian Sausage in a Parmesan-Leek Sauce. When I left the house this morning, I set chicken out to thaw, having completely forgotten about the leeks (which have been languishing in the veggie drawer for over a week now), and planned to just wing it for dinner tonight. When I got home in the evening and starting getting prepped to make dinner, I found the leeks in the fridge and decided to just do a different take on that sauce from the original recipe, and the result was delicious. Leeks, onion, and garlic all have strong flavors, but blended together with heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, butter, and seasoning, they mellow out, creating a light, creamy sauce that pairs perfectly with chicken (and could work with a lot of other white meats).

iPhone 5 photo...not too shabby (I was too hungry and lazy to run upstairs and grab my camera)

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20-30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Food processor

Ingredients

• 2 leeks, cleaned and cut in half (remove all of the green top part and the roots/bottom; soak in warm water for a few minutes to help remove any grit and grim)
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Approx. 1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2-4 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2-4 tbsp. white wine (cooking grade is fine)
• 2-4 tbsp. dried oregano
• 2-4 tbsp. lemon pepper (if you don't have this, just add some extra pepper and dry lemon peel, or skip it altogether) 
• Approx. 1/4 cup heavy cream (add more as needed)
• 2 chicken breasts, whole or cut into strips
• 1 package (approx. 16 oz.) spaghetti or linguine (you could also try a small pasta, like penne or rotini—they could work very well with the sauce)
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, then add the leeks and cook for 2-4 minutes, until tender. Drain the leeks and put them in the food processor. Heat a little butter and olive oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat and add the onion. Cook until tender, then put it in the food processor. Add garlic, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, white wine, oregano, lemon pepper, salt, and pepper to the onion and leeks. Blend in the food processor until well-blended (the mixture likely won't be completely smooth, but this is fine—a little texture is good for this sauce). With the food processor running, slowly add the heavy cream. Sauce will be not too thin but not too thick. Pour it into a small pot and warm it over medium heat on the stove—add a little water or milk if you need to thin it out. In the same pan you used for the onion, add a little butter and olive oil, heat over medium-high heat, then add the chicken (season the chicken with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper). When partially cooked through, add the white wine (I just poured a splash in) and let it cook down. When the chicken is cooked through, it should be golden brown and no wine should be left in the pan. Reduce the heat when the chicken is cooked through to prevent overcooking. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, lightly salt it, then add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (about 5 minutes). Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the sauce (I reserved a few big spoonfuls to pour over the chicken) and stir/toss to coat. Serve the chicken atop the pasta and top with sauce, if desired. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

This dish is flavorful and creamy, but not overly rich. The strong flavors of the onion, leek, and garlic blend well together and the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese help even out the flavor. Cooking the chicken with butter and white wine helps brown it beautifully, while adding flavor and helping to keep it tender as it cooks. My parents only had one suggestions for this dish: add bacon. I agree—a little cooked, crumbled bacon sprinkled on the dish would heighten the saltiness and bring out the flavors in the sauce. But, even without that delicious pig meat, this dish is tasty.

Recipe: Pasta and Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Artichoke Hearts

A long day working in the basement, organizing ungodly amounts of Christmas ornaments and assorted knickknacks, left me looking for something lovely and light for dinner last night—something that could be enjoyed on the back porch with a glass of wine and a few hungry cats. Enter lemony artichoke hearts, tangy sun-dried tomatoes, and tender chicken, tossed with pasta and a light butter and olive oil sauce. 

Serves: 4

Prep. time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the bottom of medium pan
• 2-3 tbsp. butter
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 inch cubes
• 1, 7 oz. jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (I used Alessi brand), drained (reserve the oil in the jar or in a small bowl) and diced
• 1, 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered (cut each into four pieces)
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-3 tbsp. dried Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper, to taste (I used a rainbow peppercorn blend, which packs some great flavor!)
• 8 oz. spaghetti, angel hair, or linguine (for a different style, use a small/short pasta, like farfalle or penne)
• Italian cheese, as desired

Directions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper (garlic powder is also a good addition). Heat a little regular olive oil, olive oil from the sun-dried tomato jar, and butter in a medium pan over medium-high heat, then add the chicken. Cook until the chicken is a little more than halfway cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and cook for another 1-2 minutes, then add the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and a little more sun-dried tomato olive oil from the jar. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring the mixture occasionally. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. While the mixture is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the packaging (about 4-5 minutes for long, thin pastas). Drain the pasta, then add a little butter and a splash of sun-dried tomato olive oil to it—toss to combine. Add the chicken, artichoke, and sun-dried tomato mixture to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve topped with Italian seasoning and/or Italian cheese, as desired.

This dish offers light, bright flavors that make it perfect as a summertime dinner. Artichoke hearts have a slightly lemony taste that blends well with the tangy, sweet flavor of the sun-dried tomatoes. A "sauce" of butter and olive oil is all you need to pull the dish together, and a sprinkling of Italian cheese is a perfect way to top it off.

Recipe: Spaghetti and Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs

I'm slowly but surely working my way through the recipes in my newest Giada De Laurentiis cookbook, and a recipe for spaghetti and meatballs—with a bit of a twist—was up for dinner on Wednesday night. It seems like every family has their own version of this classic dish—some people use spaghetti, others use a different type of pasta; some use marinara while others make a meat sauce; and everyone has their own opinion on what makes the best meatball (Fresh or dry breadcrumbs? Use a mix of meat or stick to one kind?). My grandmother's recipe included spaghetti with a marinara sauce and these small, tender meatballs that my cousin, Katie, and I have always wanted the recipe for but still haven't gotten. My dad's father's family was Italian and used to make up huge bowls of bucatini (a spaghetti-like pasta with a hole through the middle) with tender meatballs made with a mix of veal, pork, and beef. My mom makes her dish with a tomato sauce with meat, all-beef meatballs, and angel hair pasta. The recipe here, altered slightly, includes a simple tomato sauce with pancetta and a little dried red pepper flakes for a kick, and meatballs made with both veal and beef, stuffed with a tiny cube of mozzarella—it's absolutely delicious. The meatballs are incredibly tender and flavorful, and I absolutely loved cutting into them and seeing the warm, creamy mozzarella ooze out onto my fork. The sauce is simple and it's a nice change from a typical marinara or meat sauce. A sprinkle of Parmesan or Pecorino Romano brings the whole dish together, and it's wonderful paired with a dry red wine.

Serves: 4-6
Prep. time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 8-16 oz. angel hair, spaghetti, or other long pasta
  

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 6 oz. pancetta, diced (prosciutto can work in a pinch, but pancetta really should be used)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1, 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

For the meatballs:

• 1 small onion, grated (I used a cheese grater, and it worked quite well)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used shredded and simply cut it up finer with a knife)
• 1/3 cup Italian-style seasoned dry breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp. ketchup
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• About 1 tsp. each salt and pepper
• 8 oz. ground beef
• 8 oz. ground veal
• 2 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (if you can find smoked mozzarella, use that instead)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400*F and place one of the oven racks in the lower third of the oven. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs except the meat, then lightly mix. Add the beef and veal and, using your hands, gently "knead" and mix the ingredients together until well-blended. Shape the meat into 1&1/2 inch round balls and place on a baking sheet covered with a piece of parchment paper (or, if you don't have parchment paper, spray the cooking sheet with cooking spray)—you should be able to make at least 16 meatballs (I ended up with 21). Make a small depression in each meatball and place a cube of mozzarella inside, then re-roll the meatball so that the mozzarella is completely encased inside. Bake the meatballs for about 15 minutes (put them on that lower oven rack), until cooked through and fork-tender (meaning they can be cut easily with a fork). Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until slightly golden brown (about 5-7 minutes), then, using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside. Add the onion to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, and pancetta and simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, bring a medium-to-large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (about 4-5 minutes). Drain the pasta, return to the pot, and toss with a little olive oil to keep the strands from sticking together.
Serve the pasta with a spoonful or more of sauce on top (or mix the sauce in with all of the pasta in the pot and serve), and place a few meatballs on top. Garnish with Italian cheese, like Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano, if desired.

This is a great version of "spaghetti-and-meatballs" that's well-worth trying. It's incredibly easy to make, packed with flavor, and, like any good pasta dish, both the sauce and meatballs can be frozen and thawed out later for an easy weeknight meal. I know many people take issue with eating veal, and though it is the major reason these meatballs are so tender, if you're totally against using it in the meatballs, try using a mix of beef and pork. Using more than one meat in the meatball adds flavor and enhances the texture of the meatballs.

Recipe: Chicken Piccata

I haven't really had time to grocery shop this week, and no, I don't really have a legitimate reason why. It's just been one of those lazy weeks (oh, and it's been around or below 58 degrees for a few days, which means I've been snuggling up in blankets and dreaming of my college days in sunny South Carolina instead of being productive). So, that being said, I wanted an easy, delicious recipe for last night's dinner, and a classic chicken piccata from Giada De Laurentiis fit the bill. Bright, lemony chicken served with warm pasta, drizzled with a light sauce straight from the chicken-sauteing pan makes for a light, delicate meal.

My measurement conversions were a little off, so the recipe didn't yield as much sauce as it normally would, but what sauce I did get was delicious and if you follow the measurements I list below, it'll work out just right

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 lb. (1 box) spaghetti or angel hair pasta
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pound them out a bit so they cook more evenly)
• A dash of salt and pepper
• Dried lemon peel
• All-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons; I used bottled juice)
• 1/4 cup drained capers, rinsed
• Dry white wine, if desired
• Dried parsley, to garnish

Directions
Mix the salt, pepper, and dried lemon peel into the flour. Dredge the chicken in the flour to coat it lightly. In a large saute pan/skillet, melt 2 tbsp. butter with 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, lightly browning both sides and cooking through slightly, then use tongs to remove them and set them aside on a plate.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box. Drain and return to pot, drizzle with a little olive oil, and cover with lid to keep warm while the chicken continues to be cooked.
Add the broth, lemon juice, capers, and a splash of dry white wine (about 1-2 tbsp.) to the pan that you used to cook the chicken. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan (they add extra flavor). Return the chicken to the pan and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Using tongs, place the chicken on a clean plate. Whisk 2 tbsp. butter into the sauce left in the saute pan. Serve the chicken atop the pasta, and ladle the sauce over them. Garnish with parsley. Italian cheese may be added if desired.

This dish is quick and easy, but packed with flavor. The lemon juice and dry white wine add bright acidity to the dish, while the butter and chicken stock add a soft, smooth flavor. Dredging the chicken in seasoned flour creates a delicate coating on the chicken that browns beautifully in the pan. This dish is bright, lemony, and perfect for a cool summer night.

Recipe: Spaghetti al Melone

Hopefully I don't sound like a broken record, but once again, I made a Giada De Laurentiis recipe tonight: Spaghetti al Melone. Sometimes I think I should just follow in the footsteps of the blogger that inspired the Julie and Julia movie and work my way through all of Giada's cookbooks—Haha! Anywho, a few days ago on her show, Giada at Home, Giada and her aunt pulled some recipes from her grandmother's cookbook and made them for a sort of "comfort food/blast from the past" meal (original recipe can be found here). The recipe I'm sharing tonight caught my eye because it was so different from other pasta-with-sauce dishes that I've seen and made. The sauce is made with cantaloupe, which may seem a little odd, but the saltiness of that particular melon makes it perfect for certain savory dishes. I remember having melon wrapped in prosciutto as an appetizer during my homestay in Italy in high school, when I traveled with People to People International, and the combination of sweet and salty was perfect. Though the recipe doesn't call for it, I used that Italian appetizer as an inspiration and added crispy crumbles of prosciutto to the dish and the meal turned out great.

Serves: 4-6
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 lb. spaghetti pasta
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
• 1 (2 lb.) cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (if you're feeling lazy, just buy a few packs of already-sliced cantaloupe)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 stick (4 tbsp.) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup whiskey
• 2 tbsp. fresh or bottled lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4-6 slices of prosciutto, chopped into small pieces

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente (8-10 minutes). Drain and return it to the pot. Add the Parmesan and toss well. In the meantime, place the melon in a food processor and blend until chunky, then set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream and butter over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth (about 2 minutes). Add the melon, lemon juice, and whiskey to the cream and butter mixture. Simmer until the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes; it did not thicken much when I made it, but it worked out just fine). Stir in the salt and pepper. Pour the melon sauce over the pasta and toss until it's coated. In another medium saucepan, sauté the prosciutto pieces in a little butter or olive oil until slightly crispy. Plate the pasta and top it with a sprinkle of crispy prosciutto and grated Parmesan cheese, and serve.

I absolutely LOVED this meal—by far my favorite dish of all the new dishes I've made in the past few weeks. It's light, buttery, creamy, salty, and so delicious! The melon adds a slight sweetness to the dish, while the Parmesan brings out the saltiness of the melon. Crispy prosciutto and a little extra Parmesan on top make this dish perfect. Giada's grandmother had the right idea when she decided to mix melon and pasta!