Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 (49 page)

GARNISH

4 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

1. Make the lemon butter sauce by pouring white wine and lemon juice into a saucepan over medium/low heat. Add butter and stir occasionally until it’s melted. When the butter is melted, add the cream and whisk thoroughly. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently. Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Remove it from the heat and set it aside.

2. Fold plastic wrap over each chicken breast and pound them with a mallet until the chicken is about ⅛-inch thick. Slice each flattened breast in half, then lightly salt and pepper each piece. Pour flour onto a plate, then coat each chicken piece with a light layer of flour. If you haven’t already done it, this is a good time to start boiling your pasta. Follow the directions on the package to cook the pasta al dente, or just slightly tough.

3. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of light olive oil, 2 tablespoons of butter, and ½ teaspoon of lemon juice in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken breast pieces, four at a time, to the skillet and saute for about 5 minutes per side or until the chicken is light brown. Place finished chicken on a baking sheet and keep it warm in the oven until you are ready to assemble your dish.

4. Rinse out the skillet and place it back over medium heat. Add I tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. When the oil is hot add the mushrooms, artichoke hearts, prosciutto, and capers and saute for 3 to 4 minutes or just until you see some slight browning on the mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Pourthe lemon butter sauce into the skillet and remove it from the heat.

5. Prepare each dish by piling pasta on one side of the plate. Sprinkle fresh parsley over the pasta. Arrange 2 chicken pieces on each plate then spoon the mushroom/artichoke sauce over the chicken pieces and serve.

GRATINATA SAUCE

3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons Marsala wine
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½
cup milk
½ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon Grey Poupon Dijon
mustard
2 teaspoons minced fresh
rosemary
1
.
teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
pepper

 

1 pound penne rigate pasta
12 medium shrimp, peeled and
deveined
2 skinless chicken breast fillets
½ cup (about 2 ounces) thick-
sliced smoked prosciutto,
chopped

TOPPING

3 tablespoon grated Parmesan
cheese
1½ teaspoons paprika

GARNISH

12 slices pimentos

4 sprigs rosemary

1. Preheat barbecue grill to high.

2. Prepare gratinata sauce by melting 3 tablespoons of butter over medium/low heat in a medium saucepan. Add garlic and sweat it for about 5 minutes. Be sure the garlic doesn’t brown. Add the Marsala wine and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients for the sauce and whisk well until smooth. Bring mixture to a simmer and keep it there for 10 minutes or until it’s thick. Cover sauce and remove it from the heat.

3. Cook pasta following directions on the package (7 to 9 minutes in boiling water). You want the pasta tender, but not mushy (al dente). Drain pasta and set it aside when it’s done.

4. Pound the thick end of your chicken breasts a bit with a kitchen mallet to make them a uniform thickness. Rub chicken with olive oil, then sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper Spear the shrimp on skewers (6 per skewer should work fine), then rub them with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Grill chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side. Grill shrimp for 2 minutes per side. When chicken is done, slice each breast into strips.

6. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Build each dish in a large, shallow baking dish. Or you can use a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate. Load 3 cups of pasta into each baking dish. Add one-quarter of the chicken, 3 shrimp and 2 tablespoons of prosciutto onto each serving. Spoon ¾ of a cup of gratinata sauce on each serving and toss to coat. Combine 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese with 1½ teaspoons paprika, then sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of this mixture over the top of each serving. Bake the dishes for 10 to 12 minutes, or until tops begin to brown. Arrange three pimento slices on the top of each serving, then jab a sprig of rosemary into the center and serve.

1 head cauliflower
¾ cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon onion powder

1. Divide a head of cauliflower into florets that are all roughly the same size. Steam cauliflower pieces over boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender. Drain the cauliflower and toss it in a bowl of ice water to bring the cooking process to a screeching halt.

2. When the cauliflower has cooled, put the florets in a food processor along with ½ cup of water. Puree the cauliflower on high speed until smooth, but with some very small pieces of cauliflower remaining in the mix for just a bit of texture.

3. Pour all of the pureed cauliflower into a medium saucepan. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining ¼ cup of water and add the solution to the cauliflower.

4. Add the cream, sugar, salt, white pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to the cauliflower and stir. Set the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring often, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thick.