Eye for a Recipe

This great recipe from the LCBO’s Food and Drink magazine is a keeper. Cook zucchini and shallot and set aside. Pound chicken breasts into cutlets, dredge in flour, brown the chicken and set aside. Sauté shallot, capers and dill pickles and add pickle brine and stock. Return chicken to the pan, add sliced lemon and cook until the chicken is done. Serve the chicken over the zucchini, top with lemons and sauce and garnish with fresh dill. Cook’s note: I peeled the zucchini into strips with a Y-shaped peeler

Avoiding Additive and Preservatives

Use unbleached flour and butter that does not contain colour. I used Unico capers, Imagine Organic stock and Sunshine Farms dill pickles and brine. All are free of additives and preservatives.

Cook the zucchini

Dredge the chicken

Brown the chicken and set aside

Cook shallot, pickles and capers

Add broth, brine, chicken and lemons and cook until chicken is done

Serve the chicken over the zucchini

Ingredients:

¾ lb (340 g) zucchini, about 2 medium zucchini or 1 pkg (340 g) prepared spiralized zucchini

¼ cup (60 ml) all-purpose flour

2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken cutlets

¼ tsp (1.25 ml) sea salt

Generous grinds of fresh black pepper

¼ cup (60 ml) butter, cut into

1 tbsp (15 ml) pieces

1 large or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced, divided

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, divided

1 dill pickle plus 1 tsp (5 ml) pickle brine

2 tsp (10 ml) drained capers

½ cup (125 ml) chicken broth

4 lemon wheels, seeds removed, plus 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp (30 ml) coarsely chopped fresh dill

Preparation:

If using whole zucchini, use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler to pull long, thin strips of zucchini until all zucchini is in strips.

Add flour to a pie plate. Slice each chicken breast in half crosswise. Place between two pieces of plastic wrap on a cutting board. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound until thin and even. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Turn chicken cutlets in flour and remove to a plate.

Melt 1 tbsp (15 ml) butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When bubbling, add half of shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened slightly, 1 minute. Add zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Divide zucchini between two plates, including scraping any bits from bottom of pan. Keep warm by covering plates with foil.

Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tbsp (15 ml) each butter and oil. Add chicken, making sure not to crowd the pan. You may need to cook chicken in two batches, adding remaining oil to pan if needed. With the exception of flipping halfway through, cook chicken undisturbed until golden on each side, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Add more butter, if needed. Remove from heat. Add chicken to a separate plate. Do not add to plates with zucchini as chicken may not be fully cooked through. Cover with foil.

Return pan to medium heat. Add another 1 tbsp (15 ml) butter, remaining shallot, pickles and capers. Cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from pan bottom, until softened, 1 minute. Pour in broth and brine. Cook, scraping up and stirring in any brown bits until sauce reduces by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken and any juices back into the pan along with lemon wheels. Continue cooking, turning occasionally until chicken is nicely coated and cooked through, about 3 to 6 more minutes depending on chicken thickness.

Remove pan from heat. Working quickly, set chicken over zucchini noodles. Discard lemon wheels if you prefer. Stir lemon juice and any remaining butter into sauce in pan. Taste and season with salt and pepper if you like. Pour over chicken. Serve sprinkled with dill. Serves 2.

From Food and Drink

This salad from the latest issue of Food and Drink is a great accompaniment to grilled meats and would also be hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian entrée. Toasting the quinoa takes a few minutes but it imparts a nutty flavour. You can use broccoli instead of broccolini; grilled asparagus would also work well. The pesto is delicious — I used pecans instead of walnuts and tossed a few extra into the salad.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Dried fruit often contains sulfites so check the label on the dates; I use Parnoosh brand. The other ingredients to check for additives and preservatives are the feta, nuts, red wine vinegar and cumin. I use Krinos feta, Eden Organic vinegar and No-Name nuts and cumin.

Toasting the quinoa gives it a nutty flavour

Grill the broccolini on a barbecue or grill pan until tender and charred in places

Walnut dill pesto

Combine the dates, feta, green onions and broccolini before adding the quinoa

Toasted quinoa, broccolini and date salad

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) quinoa

2 cups (500 ml) water

1 bunch broccolini

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil, plus extra for brushing

12 pitted dates, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

5 oz (150 g) crumbled sheep’s milk feta

2 cloves garlic

½ cup (125 ml) toasted walnut pieces

½ cup (125 ml) roughly chopped, loosely packed dill

¼ cup (60 ml) roughly chopped, loosely packed parsley

½ tsp (2 ml) salt

2 tbsp (30 ml) red wine vinegar

1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Pour dry quinoa into a medium pot and set over medium heat; leave undisturbed until quinoa begins to pop. Stir continuously from this point for about 5 minutes or until quinoa smells distinctly nutty and is noticeably darker. Carefully pour water over (water will sputter vigorously). Cover and boil for 12 to 14 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Remove lid and let stand until cooled to room temperature.

Meanwhile, heat barbecue or grill pan to high. Brush broccolini with a little olive oil and grill for 6 to 7 minutes or until tender and charred. Remove to a board and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add to a large serving bowl along with the dates, green onion, feta and quinoa. Set aside.

Add ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil, garlic, walnuts, dill, parsley, salt, vinegar and cumin to a food processor; pulse until mixture resembles a chunky pesto. Pour over salad and gently toss to combine. Season to taste with pepper, and adjust salt only if necessary. Serves 6.

From Food and Drink

This excellent dish from Food and Drink is simple to make and yields terrific flavour. Place garlic, butter, brown sugar, orange zest and juice in a baking dish, add the chicken, rub the chicken with coriander and bake. The result is tender chicken and a delicious orange and garlic sauce.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Butter can sometimes contain colour, so look for a brand that contains only cream. Check the label on the coriander to make sure it does not contain colour or anti-caking agents.

Place ingredients in glass baking dish

Bake until chicken is done

Roasted chicken legs with orange and garlic

Ingredients:

8 whole cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

2 tbsp (30 ml) unsalted butter

1 tbsp (15 ml) brown sugar

1 medium navel orange

4 chicken legs, about 10 oz (300 g) each

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander

3 tbsp (45 ml) water, plus more, hot, if needed

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).

In a large glass baking dish, add garlic, butter and brown sugar. Using a vegetable peeler, remove 4 large strips of zest from orange and add to dish. Halve the orange and squeeze juice into dish; add halves.

Place chicken legs in dish and generously season with salt and pepper. Divide the coriander between the 4 legs, rubbing it into the skin.

Cover dish tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour.

Remove from oven and increase heat to 450°F (230°C). Remove foil, baste the chicken legs with cooking liquid, stir in 3 tbsp (45 ml) water and return uncovered to heated oven.

Continue cooking until chicken is golden, about 20 to 25 minutes, checking occasionally to avoid burning.

Remove chicken from dish. Carefully squeeze any residual juice from orange halves into cooking juices. Remove orange zest. Using the back of a fork mash up the garlic cloves. Stir the sauce to combine and pour over chicken legs. If needed add 1 tbsp (15 ml) hot water to dish to loosen sauce. Serves 4.

From the Winter 2017 issue of Food and Drink