Living the Justopian Life

Farmer’s Market Find

I’ve been so lucky to have a farmer’s market right outside my doorstep this summer. It’s not only convenient, but it allows me to get away with not having to get in the car to drive somewhere for great produce. I picked up 3 very large tomatoes last week and turned one of them into a great salsa fresca. It was another one of my infamous last minute meals and I didn’t know what I was going to do with the salsa, but since I’d just come home from the supermarket and had a deliciously crunchy baguette under my arm, I decided the perfect answer was to grill the halves of bread and turn them over, spoon a few heaping spoonfuls of salsa on top and return to the grill for a little warmth. WOW! Was that ever DEElicious!

The chicken turned out great as well. It’s simple really:

• 1 chicken breast, pounded to approx. 1/2 inch thickness
• 2 tablespoons drained capers
• flour to dredge chicken breast in
• juice of one very large lemon
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken stock (home made if possible, if not, low sodium)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Dredge the chicken in the flour and dust off so that there is just a thin coating. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. When hot, cook the chicken, turning once for about 3 minutes on both sides, or until done. Check with a thermometer if you are unsure because you really don’t want to overcook the chicken. It will have to sit while you finish the pan sauce. Once the chicken is done, or just about done, remove to a plate and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm and continue to the cooking. Turn the stove off or remove the skillet and deglaze the pan by pouring in the wine. Place back on the heat and reduce the wine by 1/3. Add the lemon juice and chicken stock and cook until further reduced by another 1/3. Add the chicken back to the pan with any juices that have accumulated on the plate and add the capers and parsley to the pan. Cook until just heated; about 2 minutes and serve.

I made a simple pasta with pancetta and cream. Cook the pasta until al dente. In the meantime, put diced pancetta in a pan over medium high heat until just cooked through. When the pasta is done drain and return to the pan. Add 1/3 cup of heavy cream, 1 tablespoon butter and the pancetta. Add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese on top and that’s it!

I made a simple salsa fresca with the diced tomato, diced onion, minced garlic, a small diced jalapeño pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. I have a very dense balsamic in the kitchen, so I added a teaspoon for a little sweetness. Salt and pepper and you’re done. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes to let the tastes combine. Use a slotted spoon to scoop onto the bread which, by the way, I removed some of the starchy bread to allow for a place for the salsa to sit.

My mouth is watering looking at the pictures and thinking about the meal — a healthy, not too heavy summer dinner.

Enjoy!

See how pretty it looks at the new site: FRANtasticFood.com

Filed under: Food, How To