Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

I have a small container herb garden that I keep on the lanai here in Florida.  I find it much more practical than planting herbs in the ground.  We just got our second or third hard freeze of the season and many of my herbs would not have survivied without the ability to bring them inside.  The sage would probably be fine on it’s own, but not the basil or parsley.  The one herb plant that is doing beautifully outside is my rosemary.  It is now a bush.  I will try to take a picture of it when the sun comes up.

But last night I used sage leaves in my chicken saltimbocca.  I have made this dish before but had forgotten how pretty it looks.  The paper-thin pieces of prosciutto wrap snuggly around the chicken and the sage leaves shine through.  The prosciutto clings on it’s own without the use of toothpicks and keeps the chicken moist while lending it a salty tang.  The sage leaves have an earthy flavor when you bite into them.  This is a great way to wake up a ho-hum chicken breast.

I served the chicken with braised kale and a baked sweet potato with cinnamon.  It might be better to serve it on a bed of pasta to absorb the juices from the lemon sauce.

LEMONY CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA ( adapted from Cooking Light)

4 (4ounce) chicken cutlets
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 fresh sage leaves
2 ounces very thinly slices prosciutto, 8 pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup lower-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt.  Place 3 sage leaves on each cutlet; wrap 2 prosciutto slices around each cutlet, securing sage leaves in place.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan and swirl to coat.  Add chicken to pan; cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until done.  Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Combine broth, lemon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth.  Add cornstarch mixture to the pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cook for 1 minute or until slightly thickened.  Spoon sauce over chicken.

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I am fighting deadlines right now.  As much as I love having company, I still have lots to do to get ready for everyone.  We have our dear high school friends coming for a visit this weekend; three guys and their wives who were David’s classmates.  I have been baking, shopping and cleaning; the usual preparation for visitors.  Yesterday was a particularly long day.  I was trying to clean out the refrigerator to make room for my latest purchases and found a large plastic box of baby arugula that I bought last week and promptly forgot about.  Raiding the pantry and fridge, I came up with this delightful salad.

This salad was so easy to pull together and was a refreshing dish to have on a warm evening.  I served it with simple sauteed chicken cutlets.  It was one of those nights when I just needed to be alone in the kitchen to make some order out of the chaos that I had created from my cooking and shopping frenzy.

Having such a lovely dish helped to calm my jangled nerves.  Cooking really is therapy for me.  We are looking forward to seeing everyone again.  We were all together last in Nantucket which I blogged about here.  Moses and Maryanne took such good care of us that we are hoping to do the same for them in Lake Lure.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS AND ARUGULA SALAD (Adapted from Guy Fieri)

1 1/2 cups Israeli (pearl) couscous
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cups baby arugula

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add couscous and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until couscous has puffed up and is cooked through to the center. Drain and allow to cool. Transfer to a large bowl.

Prepare dressing by whisking together the lemon juice and mustard while drizzling in the olive oil. Once slightly emulsified, stir in pepper flakes and season with salt and cracked black pepper.

Toss the tomatoes, cranberries, red bell pepper, onion and arugula with the couscous. Pour the dressing over top. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss to the combine.

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I would be curious if any of you have tasted Panamanian cuisine.  I have just been introduced to this  flavor profile. Panamanian cuisine is similar to other Caribbean locales and has been influenced by the Native Americans, Spanish and African immigrants who populate this land bridge between two continents. It includes tropical fruits, coconut, herbs like cilantro, rice and beans and seafood, pork and poultry.

I recently met Smith Anderson, founder of 980 Panama Gourmet Sauces. With his partner Alexis Gallardo, he conceived the idea of manufacturing sauces with ingredients straight from the fields of Panama.  All of their sauces are natural and gluten free. Alexis Gallardo, a native of Panama, had studied chemical engineering and was a part of his family’s manufacturing and distribution company that is the top exporter of natural vinegars in Central America.  Smith and Alexis formed their own company to produce flavorful sauces with an emphasis on freshness and quality ingredients.

Imagine adding Pineapple Coconut sauce to your caribbean rice dish or as a marinade for your favorite chicken.  The Wild Cilantro sauce adds just the right heat and flavor to tacos.  The Smoky Chipotle sauce would be great on ribs.  One of the newer sauces, not pictured above , is Caribbean Lime.  I used it in addition to the Wild Cilantro in the recipes I developed here. It has a bit of heat and a piquant flavor.

I marinated the pork cutlets in a mixture of the Wild Cilantro Sauce and the the Caribbean Lime Sauce with olive oil and vinegar before breading and frying.  The black beans were coated with a vinaigrette of olive oil, lime juice and the Wild Cilantro and Caribbean Lime Sauce. The Mango Salsa or Chatini comes from Dory Greenspan and is part of the cuisine of the island of Mauritius.  This is a meal worthy of sharing with friends and family with unique flavors and bright taste.

Smith Anderson has graciously offered to donate a four pack of sauces to one of my followers.  All you have to do is leave a comment below and like 980 sauces on Facebook. I will pick a winner by random drawing.

CARIBBEAN PORK

4 Tenderized boneless pork cutlets
1 Tablespoon Wild Cilantro 980 Sauce
1 Tablespoon Caribbean Lime 980 Sauce
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

3/4 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg beaten with a little water
1 cup Panko crumbs

2 Tablespoons oil for frying

Combine the 980 sauces with the olive oil and white wine vinegar.  Place pork cutlets in shallow rectangular bowl.  Spoon sauce over them, turn and cover both sides of pork evenly with marinade.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Place flour in bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Place egg and water in another bowl.  Put Panko crumbs in a third bowl.  Dip pork chops in flour, then egg and then in Panko crumbs being sure that the chops are well covered.  Place chops and on large plate and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour to set crumbs.

Heat oil in large skillet and brown chops on both sides.  Place in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes to be sure that they are cooked through.

BLACK BEAN SALAD

1 15 Oz. can black beans drained and rinsed
1 large celery stalk, diced
1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
2 roma tomatoes, diced
2 scallions chopped

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon lime juice
zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon Wild Cilantro 980 Sauce
1 teaspoon Caribbean Lime 980 Sauce

Combine black beans with celery, celery leaves, tomatoes and scallions.

Combine the vinaigrette ingredients and pour over black bean mixture.  Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour to combine flavors.  Serve as is or over a bed of watercress.

MANGO CHATINI ( Dory Greenspan )

Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, or to taste
1 large ripe but firm mango, peeled, pitted, and finely diced
1 spring onion, trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne

Stir the lime juice and ginger together in a small serving bowl.  Add the mango, onion, and cilantro and season with slat, pepper and if you’d like, a pinch of cayenne.

Serve over Caribbean pork cutlet.

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TURKEY PAUPIETTES WITH APPLES, ONIONS, AND CRANBERRIES  ( adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

For the Stuffing:
6 slices of whole-wheat bread, cut inot 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1 rib of celery, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 Golden Delicious apple, peeled and chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup canned chicken broth

Three 1/2 pound turkey breast tenderloins (“cutlets”) halved horizontally, pounded 1/4 inch thick between dampened sheets of wax paper, and seasoned with salt and pepper
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
12 small white onions, blanced in boiling water for 2 minutes and peeled
2 cups apple cider
1 cup canned chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
3/4 Golden Delicious apple, sliced thin and kept in a bowl of 1 cup water acidulated with 1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup cranberries, picked over
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves

Make the stuffing:  On a sheet pan toss the bread with the melted butter, the marjoram, the thyme, and salt and pepper to taste and bake the mixture in a preheated 350 F. oven for 15 minutes, or until the bread is toasted lightly.  In a large heavy skillet cook the celery, the garlic, the apple and the onion in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, add the broth, and bring the liquid to a boil.  Stir in the bread mixture and stir the stuffing until it is combined well.

Divide the stuffing among the tenderloins, mounding it in the center, and starting with the short ends roll up the tenderloins to enclose the stuffing.  Secure each end with a wooden pick and pinch the edges together to seal in the stuffing.  In a large heavy skillet heat the butter over moderately high heat until the foam subsides and in it saute the paupiettes and the white onions, turning them, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the paupiettes are browned.  Add the cider, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the turkey is tender.  Transfer the paupiettes with a slotted spatula to a platter, removing the wooden picks, and keep them warm covered loosely.  Add the broth to the skillet and bring the liquid to a boil.  Stir the cornstarch mixture, stir it into the cider mixture, and cook the sauce, stirring, unti it boils and thickens.  Stir in the apple slices, drained well, and the cranberries, cook the mixture, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the fruit is heated through, and stir in the minced parsley and salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon the mixture around the paupiettes and garnish the dish with the parsley sprigs.  Serves 6.

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