Chicken Piccata

Family dinner. The one daily event that I constantly crave from Austin during the school year. There's nothing quite like it; don't you agree?

Our newest family favorite, chicken piccata, has become my mom's signature meal. All five of us love it. That's a huge feat in the Greenstein household.

Last week, my sister and parents were out of town, leaving me and my brother alone in Memphis. I decided to play "mom" and try her recipe for the two of us and my boyfriend, Alex.  It was delish!

This time, we served our piccata with haricot verts (roasted in the oven at 450 degrees on a baking sheet) and oven fried japanese eggplant from Gary's Garden (dunked in egg whites and Italian style bread crumbs, baked alongside the beans). 

Here's an eggplant tip: after slicing the bite-sized pieces, sprinkle sea salt and allow the eggplant to sit for 15-20 minutes. The salt will draw out the water and cause pooling on top of each slice. Use a paper towel to dry off the water. This process will make your eggplant extra crispy.

I hope this dish becomes a family favorite for you, too!

chicken piccata

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 365 cal. | 16 g fat (6 g sat.) | 9.3 g carb | 41.1 g protein

4 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I buy the cutlets at Fresh Market!)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

5 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth, divided

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers

2 tablespoons torn basil leaves

1. Place 1 teaspoon flour in a small bowl and set aside. Pour remainder of flour into a shallow dish and dredge both sides of chicken in flour. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Shake off excess.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan and swirl to coat.  Add chicken to pan, sautéing 4 minutes on each side until done.  Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.

3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan and swirl to coat. Sauté shallots for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add wine and bring to a boil.  Cook until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally.

4. Add 1/4 cup broth to the reserved 1 teaspoon flour (step 1); stir until smooth.  Add remaining 1/2 cup to pan and bring to a coil.  Cook 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.  Then, stir in flour mixture until slightly thick (approx. 1 minute).  Remove from heat.

5. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, juice, and capers. Top each breast with about 2 tablespoons sauce and garnish with basil and a sprinkle of parmesan. Angel hair is a lighter starch option to nest the chicken.

adapted from cooking light magazine

Mini Apple Crisps

If you're all about low-maintenance baking, step right up.  These single-serving pies require minimal appliances (no KitchenAid...just a bowl and spoon!) and minimal work. Slice the apples, mix the crumble, add the crumble on top, and your work is done.

Who said that baking requires a sink full of dirty dishes? Whip up these apple crisps soon and you'll see what I am talking about.

mini apple crisps

Makes 2 servings

Per serving: 264 cal. | 12 g fat (7 sat.) | 39 g carbs | 2 g protein

2 small apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 (heaping) tablespoons rolled oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash salt
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Divide apple slices into two greased, single-serving pie pans (I use disposable ones!). Squeeze lemon over both pans to coat apples.

3. In a small bowl, combine all dry ingredients, cut in butter and combine until crumbly. Use those hands if you need to! Sprinkle mixture over apples.

4. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the apples are tender.

adapted from taste of home

Summer Sips

Gary's garden has done me well in the cocktail category.

Here are two summer drinks that you can enjoy at your next party, pool day or dinner. My summer orchard on the rocks and strawberry mojito are easy to make, and the fruitiness will keep that smile on your face all day.

summer orchard on the rocks

Makes 1 cocktail

5-6 small basil leaves

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 peach, peeled and sliced

Juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 ounce simple syrup*

1 ounce rum

Crushed ice

1. Place basil and sugar in a cocktail shaker. Using a muddler, crush basil leaves and mash into sugar.

2. Add peach and crush.

3. Add lime juice, simple syrup, rum and ice. Place the top onto the shaker and shake it until sides feel chilly.

4. Strain into a glass with crushed ice and garnish with a basil leave. Voila!

*To make simple syrup, boil 1 part water and dissolve 1 part sugar. I used 1/2 cup of each and saved the rest. Make sure to chill in the freezer if you're making this at the last minute!

adapted from zestuous

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strawberry mojito

Makes 1 cocktail

1.5 ounces simple syrup

3 fresh strawberries, hulled

4-5 mint sprigs

Soda water

Juice of 1/2 lime

2 ounces light rum

1. In a chilled glass, muddle simple syrup, strawberries and mint leaves together. Crush the strawberries and mint well!

2. Squeeze juice from the lime into the glass, add the rum and stir well. 

3. Fill glass with ice and top off with soda water. Garnish with mint sprigs or strawberry slices.

adapted from white on rice couple

Gary's Garden

"Grow where you're planted."

Since age seven, my home away from home has been nestled in good 'ole Utica, Mississippi. For thirteen summers, I grew up at Henry S. Jacobs Camp, where I learned the core of my friendships, passions and Southern Judaism. This past Friday, my family and Alex drove four hours to the camp gates for a weekend of outdoor fun at a "southern pace," as the camp slogan reads.

Assistant Director Gary Brandt, who lives on camp property 365 days of the year, took his creative and outdoorsy skills to practice with his very own garden. He now grows herbs, fruits and vegetables where he, too, was planted: at Jacobs Camp. Every summer night during free time, campers join Gary to harvest vegetables, weed plants, and tend to the garden (and play with chickens!). What a remarkable lesson to teach kids at camp.

Before we headed back to Memphis, Gary took me garden pickin'. The greenness of his backyard was unreal. His garden is full of flavors, from swiss chard and eggplant to six types of mint and watermelon! We quickly filled tupperware with heaps of ingredients for future recipes.

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting dishes and drinks with basil, mint, eggplant, chard and other greens. I am still crafting recipes, so if you have any suggestions, comment below.

Thank you, Gary, for sharing your garden with me!

La Cucina de Garga (Florence)

Mama’s Italian cooking has never been so freakin’ fantastic.

During our Florence weekend last month, Hannah made our reservation to La Cucina de Garga just in time to witness the sunset at Boboli Gardens and Piazzale Michelangelo minutes beforehand. When we walked into a bar to buy a bottle of wine, the bartender even gave us three free wine glasses to take along with us. Talk about a unique but appropriate souvenir. And, not to mention, the perfect prop for a photo!

The eclectic restaurant’s turquoise and floral storefront stuck out in the cobblestone alley. We walked in ready to experience a classically divine Italian meal. We received that and so much more: excellent service, free foccacia and dessert, and so many laughable moments between the three of us.

As expected, we began with two key ingredients: bread and wine. Our endearing waiter brought us salted focaccia and followed up with a focaccia bruschetta with olive oil and marinara on the house.

Our appetizer, calamari con avocado y pomodorini, was a bright mix of sautéed calamari, avocado, cherry tomatoes and lemon dressing. I'd pick this over fried calamari any day.

Pictured above was the winner: linguine with clams. Not a single noodle sat on my plate after ten minutes. The light olive oil and garlic added so much zest to a classic. In fact, when I asked for parmesan, the waiter lightly scolded me for wanting to add cheese to a perfectly refined dish. He said the cheese would ruin my appreciation for the existing flavors! Interesting, huh.

Gotta love Italy.

Saint Emilion Old-fashioned Macarons

Down in good 'ole Bordeaux rests the beautiful region of Saint Emilion, a medieval treasure with villages, vineyards and the original macaron. I'm not referring to the Ladureé macaron mecca; these old-fashioned "biscuits" originated in the village of Saint Emilion centuries ago! 

Here's a sweet bit of history I scavenged:

"The recipe, believed to include the mix of sweet and bitter almonds, was a secret closely guarded by this small religious community and passed down through generations of the order until, in 1930, it passed into the hands of Madame Grandet. With the help of her family she opened the Blanchet Bakery at 9 rue Guadet. Three generations later and this small maison artisanale is a thriving business, where the recipe remains unchanged and the preparation and baking is still done by hand. Even the almonds are selected, roasted and powdered on site. Whilst other bakeries exist in St Emilion none have the right to bear the name St Emilion Macaroon (macaron in French)."     -Kerry Swash

We tried a bite of Madame Grandet's during our wine tour, and I was immediately determined to try these at home.

We were informed that old-fashioned macarons only require almonds, egg whites and sugar. This is true. However, after Googling the Saint Emilion recipe throughout my afternoon, I finally came across a European baker whose conversions threw me for a loop. Little did I realize how mathematical a baker must be. I acquired more research on conversions (I bookmarked this page for future reference) and, luckily, the ratio worked perfectly in my adapted recipe.

See those brown almond shell speckles in the macarons below? Yes, that's right. I made my own almond powder. It was a simple step that made all the difference in the consistency and taste.

My parents and I agreed, upon trying our macarons, that the Saint Emilion flavor was indeed present. Plus, they're only 105 calories per macaron biscuit! Bon Appetít.

saint emilion old-fashioned macarons

Makes 12 macaron biscuits

Per serving: 105 cal. | 5 g fat | 14 g carb | 3 g protein

6 oz. packaged sliced almonds
3/4 cup sugar, divided into two parts
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1. With a food processor, pureé almonds to a "powder" consistency (see photo above). Measure 1 1/4 cups of almond powder and place in medium mixing bowl.

2. Mix half of sugar with powdered almonds, add one egg white and stir well. Mix in second half of sugar before adding second egg white and almond extract.

3. Once ingredients are completely incorporated, leave to sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300 degrees.

4. Lightly grease or place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Use a tablespoon to scoop dough and drop 2 inches apart on baking sheet.

5. Bake for 20 minutes, opening oven door from time to time to help develop a crisp shell for the soft interiors.

6. Cool macarons completely on a wire rack before serving.

adapted from kerry swash at suite101.com