Chicken in Lemon Cream Sauce . . . Pollo in Salsa di Limone e' Crema

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Here is a great Italian recipe worth preparing for your family.  I decided that the recipe needed a little less lemon flavor and so I added cream to the sauce, along with capers and the addition of one of our favorite Italian spice blends. Since we love capers, this version is a little bit 'Piccata' too. But that's what makes cooking so much fun -- all the experimenting!

This recipe is truly one that would be served in an excellent Italian restaurant -- it's that yummy! The chicken is so tender, the breading is so delicate, the combination of the lemon, cream and spices is just perfect.

Chicken in Lemon and Cream Sauce with Capers

What you need:

1-1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 cup flour

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Blend

Freshly ground Italian sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. canola oil

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup minced onion

1 lemon to 1-1/2 lemons

1-1/2 cups chicken broth (brodo, which I prepare ahead and freeze)

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup capers, drained

1/4 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Pasta, such as Fettuccine, Linguine or Spaghettini

Freshly ground Parmigiana Reggiano (I grind ahead of time and freeze)
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What you need to do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Get a large pot of water boiling for the pasta.

Tenderize the chicken breasts by pounding them to a thickness of about 1/2" to 1" thick.

In a flat bowl, mix the flour and cornstarch.

Rinse the chicken breasts under cold water, but do not dry.

Season to preference level of fresh sea salt, black pepper and Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Blend.

Dredge the seasoned chicken breasts in the flour mixture.

In a large oven proof skillet over medium heat melt the butter and canola oil together.

Add the chicken breasts and cook on each side until golden brown.

Remove the chicken from the pan.

Add the garlic and onion, saute over medium-low heat until tender and golden.

Add the chicken back into the pan.

Squeeze the juice of the lemons over the chicken breasts.

Add the chicken broth.

Add the cream.

Add the capers.

Season again with sea salt, black pepper and Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Blend.

Finish cooking the chicken breast and sauce in the oven about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is baking, cook the pasta to "al dente" (to the tooth).

When finished baking, take the pasta to the plates, lay the chicken breasts on top, ladle/spoon the sauce all over the chicken and the pasta.

Sprinkle freshly grated Parmigiana Regiano cheese on the chicken and pasta.

Garnish with chopped Italian parsley and slivers of lemon rind or slices of fresh lemon.

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Delicate and Rare: Fried Zucchini Blossoms In Pastella!! Fiori di Zucchini Fritti in Pastella!!

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Something really weird happened in our rose garden this year! A lone zucchini plant just grew and grew like Jack's bean stalk! We have no idea how it got there! But grow it does and produce large yellow blossoms it does, on a daily basis of about five (5) a day! Incredible! By afternoon, the blossoms are wilted, so you have to pick them in the morning. In the photo below you can even see the rose petals that have graced the plant's leaves!

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So what to do with these little beauties is completely a no-brainer! FRY THEM! These little delicacies are extremely light and irresistible! They are fried in a batter somewhat like a tempura, that is called "pastella" in Italian. Pastella is a crisp and light batter made simply from flour and water which produces a thin, crackly coating that stays perfectly adhered to the zucchini blossoms and does NOT absorb the frying oil! It's lovely to work with and to devour! Pastella batter also works great with fried onion rings.

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For this I turned to Marcella Hazan's The Classic Italian Cookbook (the original version from 1973, if you're lucky enough to get your hands on one!)

Zucchini Blosssoms Fried in Pastella (Fiori di Zucchini Fritti in Pastella)

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Freshly picked zucchini blossoms

1 cup water

2/3 cup flour

Vegetable or canola oil (not olive oil)

Salt

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If necessary, clean the zucchini blossoms with a rapid rinse under cold running water. Dry them GENTLY on paper towels. Cut the stems to about 1" long. Cut the base of the blossom on one side only and then OPEN UP the blossom to be able to lay flat, without dividing it.

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Put one (1) cup of water in a wide soup bowl and gradually add the flour through a sifter and CONSTANTLY beat the mixture with a fork until all the flour is added. The batter will have a consistency of sour cream.

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Pour vegetable or canola oil (not olive oil!!!) in a skillet up two 3/4 of the height of the pan sides. Heat the oil to the hottest you can without burning the oil.

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When the oil is very hot, dip the zucchini blossoms into the batter, coat evenly, and slip only as many as will fit loosely into the skillet.

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When a golden crust has formed on one side of the blossoms, turn them over to fry on the other side until golden brown.

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When both sides have a lovely golden brown crust, place the blossoms on paper towels to drain and sprinkle with salt before they dry.

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Continue in the same manner until all the blossoms are fried. Serve promptly while piping hot!

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Amazing Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi with Papaya Salsa!!

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Here is one of the MOST delicious, scrumptious, delectable recipes that I have ever made . . . and I've been cooking for many years! I cannot take credit for this because it was created by some real professional chefs in Hawaii. I don't just prepare Italian recipes, even though it is my favorite cuisine! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Pacific Rim Fusion cuisine and this recipe fits the bill perfectly! Plus it is SO INCREDIBLY EASY!!!! The chefs at the fabulous Four Seasons Hotel in Hawaii developed this dish and they deserve kudos in my (cook)book! I hope that you try this . . . please do write and comment back about what you think.

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I am dedicating this post to my lovely blogging friend in Hawaii, Esther (God bless you sweet friend!), who is very spiritual in her Faith, a great cook, and lover of animals.

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Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi-Mahi with Papaya Salsa

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What you need for the fish:

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4 six-ounce mahi mahi fresh fish fillets

2 eggs, well beaten

1/4 c. Japanese panko bread crumbs

1/4 c. crushed macadamia nuts

1/2 tsp. grated fresh orange zest (or lemon)

1/2 tsp. grated fresh lime zest

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. chopped fresh chives

1 tsp. chopped fresh basil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, dash of each

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What you need for the Papaya Salsa:

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1/2 to 1 ripe papaya, diced into 1/4 - 1/3" cubes (I used a 1/2 papaya and it was plenty)

1 Tbsp. green or red pepper (I used green pepper for better color contrast with the papaya)

1 Tbsp. sweet onion (Vidalia in the South, or Maui on the West Coast)

1 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro

2 tsp. chopped fresh chives

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh jalapeno pepper

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. rice vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, dash of each

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What you need to do to prepare this dish:

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I prepare the salsa first because IT CAN BE REFRIGERATED and made ahead (isn't that wonderful? Especially for entertaining!!!)

Mix the papaya with all other ingredients in a bowl. Cover and set aside in the frig while cooking the fish.

Mix macadamia nuts, panko bread crumbs, the zests, chives, and basil...throw in a dash of salt and pepper. Place in a bowl to dip the fish in.

Place the eggs in a bowl for dipping the fish.

Dip ONE SIDE of each fish fillet in the eggs.

Dip that same side ONLY into the bread crumb-macadamia nut mixture. Pat the mixture on to the fish gently if necessary to help the breading stick to the fish better.

Do not bread the rest of the fish fillet, ONLY ONE SIDE!

In a buttered skillet on the stove, saute' the fish fillets BREAD CRUMB/NUT side down for 3 minutes (you could also use olive oil; if you do, do not let the oil burn). Turn the fillets over and saute for another 2 minutes.

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Bake fish in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until fish is white (or to your preference of doneness). Note: The chefs who created this recipe suggest 3 minutes, but the fish was not cooked enough to our preference, so we baked the fish for 10 minutes and they were perfect.

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Serve with Papaya Salsa, garnish with a green herb. Serve with a nice rice side dish which is perfect for Asian-inspired recipes.

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