I’m putting this one in the accident category because the sister and I were not huge fans- we’re adding ‘white sauces’ to the list of ‘things Odile has trouble cooking’… but the boyfriend rather enjoyed it and H thought that it looked good (did not get to taste), so this may be another white-sauce-that-actually-worked-I-just-didn’t-think-so. Alas, we’ll most likely never know because as I did not like it, I’m not likely to try it again. :) You’ll have to give it a shot and let me know your thoughts!

I believe its taste may have been altered by the fact that I used a very sweet wine for the sauce (the boyfriend gave the sister a bottle of Muscat Canneli for her 21st and she opted to choose that night for its opening… it had a lovely flavour, but very, very sweet) whereas something a bit more dry might have been a better choice. Should you experiment with it and experience different results, please do let me know- it’d be nice to hear someone else’s thoughts on this one!

Sherry-Glazed Chicken, Steamed Broccoli, and Whole Wheat Penne in White Wine Yogurt Sauce

Adapted from Chicken in White Wine and Yogurt Sauce from Cooks.com (for the sauce)

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, skinned, cleaned (no fat! preferably organic!)
• 1/2 cup dry dessert cream sherry
• 2 large stalks fresh broccoli
• 1/2 box whole wheat penne pasta
• 3 tblspn soy butter (1 for chicken, 2 for sauce)
• 3 tblspn AP organic flour
• 1 cup low-fat organic plain yogurt (I used Stonyfield- mom gave some to me :) )
• 1/4 cup white wine (I used Muscat Canneli)
• Sea salt & freshly-cracked black pepper
• Olive oil, for tossing pasta + pasta water

Process:

1. Boil water for pasta as directed on pasta box. Add a bit of soy butter or olive oil + salt to the water when putting it on the heat to avoid sticking. Cook as directed (I like it just slightly al dente), drain (but save about 1/3 cup pasta water for later), and place in a large bowl. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and set aside with a warm towel on top to keep in the heat.
2. Rinse broccoli stalks, then cut into small chunks and place on a plate. Take a very damp paper towel, place on top of the place so it is fully covered (no problem if it’s hanging off the sides!) and place in microwave for 2-3 minutes, until the broccoli turns very bright green. Leave outside with the paper towel on for an additional minute, then discard the towel and toss the broccoli in with the pasta.
3. Place 1 tblspn soy butter in a small sautee pan with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Once it begins to bubble, put in the chicken breasts and sear on all sides, until a nice brown colour emerges. Then add in the sherry and let sit, keeping the chicken on medium heat and turning it over every 2-3 minutes to even the glaze. It should begin to caramelize and bubble. Once the chicken is fully cooked (press down on it gently with your tongs to check. If there’s any squishyness or give, it’s not done; if it feels firm, take it off the heat!) and place on a cutting board. Keep reducing the sauce until it’s a thick, bubbling glaze, and pour slowly over the chicken. Let sit for a minute or two so it can absorb the glaze. Then, cut the chicken into 3/4-inch cubes and add to pasta and toss.
4. For the sauce, melt the remaining 2 tblspns of soy butter in another pan (a larger saucier this time). Once it begins to bubble a bit, add the flour, and slowly mix it, then add the broth in a slow and steady stream, and continue to mix all the while pouring. Then add the yogurt, wine, salt, and pepper, turn off the heat, and stir until it’s a thick, smooth sauce. Pour onto the pasta and toss lightly so that everything is evenly coated. Serve with fresh herbs on top for garnish, and keep that pasta water handy in case the sauce continues to thicken while on the pasta.

And there you have it! Give it a go and let me know how it works out for you- I’m sure you’ll do a better job of it than I did :). And as for the chicken, there’s no specific need for the glaze (especially if you go with a more dry wine, you could match it with something less sweet on the chicken) but it’s a bit of a tradition at my house. And you can switch around the broccoli for some other vegetable, switch the chicken for another meat… really, a rather fluid dish. Oh, and mushrooms are a classic with this one, but mushrooms scare me, hence their absence… feel free to add them back in for your variations!

I proved quite fully with this dish that my sister and I sadly realllly can’t handle the slightest bit of spice. We had this conversation at dinner while eating this:

Sister: (fanning self slightly)

Boyfriend: (nomnomnomnom)

Me: Boyfriend, is this not spicy to you?

Boyfriend: Ahm… no? Should it be?

Sister: To me, on a scale of 1 to 10, this is a 7. Hot hot hot hot!

Boyfriend: To me this is… mmh.. maybe a .7, on that same scale.

So as you can see, to the average person (or perhaps to the usual spicily-tolerant Asian boy), this is not that spicy- in which case the title is inaccurate- but as it was spicy to me, I’m keeping the name. So stricken. :) It’s certainly a tasty dish, and quite healthy, at that.

Spicy Tomato & Cheese Whole Grain Penne Bake

Ingredients:

• 5 tiny sweet white onions
• 4 fresh cherry tomatoes
• 3/4 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tblspn soy butter
• 1/2 box whole grain penne
• 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/8 tsp each of cayenne pepper, paprika, coriander, cumin, garlic powder
• 1 28-oz can of organic diced tomatoes in juice
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup shredded mozarella
• 2 chicken breasts, cleaned
• 1/3 cup dry cream sherry
• 1 tsp each of dried oregano, basil
• 1/2 cup grated Reggianito (Argentine Parmesan)
• sea salt & freshly-cracked black pepper

Process:

1. Dice onion fairly finely and place in sautee pan with 1 tblspn soy butter, garlic, and sprinkling of salt and pepper
2. Once it begins to bubble and brown, add in the spices (red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, paprika, coriander, cumin, garlic powder) and continue mixing until red/golden in colour
3. Add in the entire can of diced tomatoes and their juice, and the lemon juice and put on medium low heat; stir occasionaly, allow to bubble and thicken
4. Heat water to boil and cook penne according to your preference or box instructions (I like it a bit al dente, with salt and olive oil to prevent sticking). Rinse lightly, then pour into a greased deep baking dish.
5. Place the cherry tomato slices over the pasta (see picture) along with half of the cheese, and drizzle lightly with olive oil (optional)
6. Pour thickened tomato sauce over the tomato slices and pasta, and smooth out to where it’s evenly laid. Sprinkle on a bit more cheese.
7. Preheat oven to 355 degrees F.
8. Sautee 1 more tblspn of soy butter with a spinkle of salt and pepper until bubbling; then add in the chicken breasts. Sear on both sides until no more ‘pink flesh’ is visible- then add in the sherry and reduce to a caramel-y sauce. Glaze the chicken with this and remove onto a cutting board.
9. Cut the chicken into large cubes, then put back into the sautee pan (hope you didn’t clean it, you want that fond de sauce in there!) and continue to sautee for 2-3 minutes until browned on all sides.
10. Sprinkle the herbs onto the top of the tomato sauce mixture, evenly spread about the dish.
11. Remove the chicken from pan and place evenly on top of tomato sauce/herbs/cheese.
12. Grate the Reggianito on top, sprinkle with a bit more salt and pepper, and place in oven for 20 minutes approximately, until the cheese is melted and golden.
13. Allow to cool slightly, then serve warm (may fall apart- be wary and be ready to catch falling pieces)

If you can handle spice, then up the spiciness by adding more cayenne and red pepper flakes. But if you’re a spice wimp, like me, then you needn’t add more, this is already plenty :).

The boyfriend loves mushrooms. This is a fact that I will at times humour when my sister- who is even less of a fan of them than I- isn’t home. We were having company over for dinner, and thus I decided on chicken marsala… except I didn’t have marsala…. so sherry chicken a la marsala method, it was! I loosely followed a recipe from my Family Cooking book, but of course made adjustments. Namely, the substitution of dry cream sherry for marsala… but a few others as well. I actually didn’t mind the taste of mushroom in the sauce, when I tried it, and my two fellow dinnermates adored the taste, so it must have been successful :)

Creamy Sherry Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

• 3 large shallots, diced coarsely
• 4 tbl soy butter
• 1/3 cup dry cream sherry
• 1 cup organic heavy whipping cream
• 1 egg
• sea salt & freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 lb chicken tenders, cleaned, de-nerved, cut in half length-wise
• 1.5-  2 cups button mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices (quantity and thickness of slices depending on preference)
• 1/4 cup AP organic flour

Process:

1. Place shallots and 1.5 tbl soy butter, pinch of salt, and pinch of pepper in small sautee pan on medium heat. Cook on medium heat, then bringing down to low, until shallots caramelize. Once they begin to caramelize and bubble, add 1 tbl sherry, then re-caramelize and set aside.
2. Coat chicken tenders in egg, then in flour, coating lightly, and set into bowl.
3. Heat 1 tbl soy butter in a medium-sized sautee pan and sautee chicken tenders until crispy and golden brown; set aside in bowl.
4. Place mushrooms and 1.5 tbl soy butter in the same sautee pan you used for the chicken and begin to cook the mushrooms. After 4 or 5 minutes on medium heat, add in 1 tbl cream sherry and the shallots. Continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes, then turn off heat but keep the pan in place. Add the chicken, remaining sherry, and heavy cream and mix thoroughly.
5. Transfer into bowls or caved plates. For garnish, add chopped chives on top.

I apologize if any of this seems inexact- I’m writing this post a week late and sadly didn’t write down the measurements, so I’m trying my best to remember what went into it. However, the proportions should work! And really the important part is having a saucy, creamy dish.

Also, my apologies on these photos being blurry and substandard… I was rushed as our dinner guest had places to be afterwards and I was, of course, running late. Hence my using a photo of the mushrooms as the ‘main image’ above, as the final image of the creaminess prior to plating was rushed and thus a bit blurry…