Rosemary makes a new family favorite
The Internet can be a wonderful thing when it comes to looking
up new recipes. No longer is it necessary to scroll through heavy
cookbooks, beg a relative for a secret family recipe or barter with
co-workers for their secret ingredient. Just log on, enter a couple
search strings and an abundance of recipes are at your
fingertips.
That’s exactly how I found one recipe that has quickly become a
family favorite. At the end of summer, we visited Gizdich Ranch for
some ollallieberries, apples, and a hot slice of apple pie. But one
of the bonuses of the trip was a fresh branch of rosemary. We had
no idea how we were going to use the rosemary, but it smelled so
fragrant I had to have it.
Rosemary makes a new family favorite
The Internet can be a wonderful thing when it comes to looking up new recipes. No longer is it necessary to scroll through heavy cookbooks, beg a relative for a secret family recipe or barter with co-workers for their secret ingredient. Just log on, enter a couple search strings and an abundance of recipes are at your fingertips.
That’s exactly how I found one recipe that has quickly become a family favorite. At the end of summer, we visited Gizdich Ranch for some ollallieberries, apples, and a hot slice of apple pie. But one of the bonuses of the trip was a fresh branch of rosemary. We had no idea how we were going to use the rosemary, but it smelled so fragrant I had to have it.
When I got home, I sat down at the laptop and entered two words into the search engine on Food Network’s Web site – chicken and rosemary. One of the first recipes that popped up is the one below that incorporates the flavors of rosemary and another of our favorite ingredients, balsamic vinegar. We’ve adapted the recipe to infuse the butter with rosemary and garlic, and often skip the salad, but I think we’ve got the meal just right. At any rate, it prompted a co-worker to say one day as I was warming up leftovers for lunch that he wouldn’t eat out every day if he had delicious smelling food like this.
Rosemary chicken breasts, spinach pancetta salad, and brown butter and balsamic ravioli
Adapted from Rachael Ray’s “30 Minute Meals”
Chicken:
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast, 6 to 8 oz. each
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, enough to coat chicken lightly
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 rosemary stems with leaves stripped and chopped, about 2 tbsp.
Salt and coarse black pepper
4 cloves garlic, cracked away from skin with a whack against the flat of your knife
Ravioli:
1 package, 12 to 16 ounces, fresh ravioli, any flavor filling
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 rosemary stems
2 handfuls grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Spinach Salad:
6 slices pancetta, chopped
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, eyeball it
1 bunch, about 10 ounces flat-leaf spinach
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Coat chicken in balsamic vinegar, then olive oil. Season chicken with rosemary, salt and pepper and let stand 10 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for ravioli. Salt water and drop ravioli in water. Cook eight minutes or until raviolis expand, float to top of water, and are al dente.
Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken breasts and cracked garlic to the pan. Cook chicken 12 minutes, or until juices run clear, turning occasionally. The balsamic vinegar will produce a deep brown, sweet finish on the chicken as it cooks.
When the chicken is two or three minutes away from done, heat a second skillet over medium low to medium heat. To the second skillet, add butter, rosemary and garlic to the pan and let it begin to brown. The butter will be infused with the rosemary and garlic flavors.
Remove chicken from the first skillet and transfer to a warm platter. In a skillet over medium high heat and add the pancetta. Brown the pancetta bits, about two or three minutes, then transfer to paper towels to drain and return pan to heat, reducing heat to medium. Add oil and shallots to the pan and let the shallots saute two minutes.
When the butter for the ravioli has browned, add cooked ravioli to the pan and turn in butter to heat through. Add balsamic vinegar to the ravioli and cook a minute or two longer to reduce the vinegar and glaze the ravioli. The vinegar will become thick and syrup like. Add cheese, salt and pepper to the pasta and remove the pan from the heat. Pull out rosemary stems before serving.
To the sauteed shallots for the spinach salad, add sugar and cook sugar with shallots one minute. Add vinegar to the pan, scraping up pan drippings. Add spinach to the dressing and turn to wilt and coat it evenly in sweet vinaigrette. Add crisp pancetta to the salad.
Serve chicken along side ravioli and spinach salad.
