Tag Archives: Shallot

Moules à la Marinière

Summer is approaching here in the District, and that means outdoor dining. There is nothing greater than meeting up with friends after work for a drink and a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants that have outdoor patios. I always enjoy good food with good friends on warm summer nights. Of course, I love preparing easy and delicious meals that can be enjoyed indoors or out. One of my favorite recipes that is light but packed with flavor is Moules à la Marinière. In English this dish is translated to mussels steamed in wine and flavorings. It is so simple and doesn’t take long to make, but will impress guests. This dish is also fun to make and eat slowly while sitting on the balcony/rooftop, chatting with friends. If you are feeling ambitious, homemade frites (French fries), go really well with mussels! My version of home cut fries will show up soon. Hopefully you enjoy these mussels as much as I do, and cheers to the start of summer!

moules

Moules à la Marinière

Ingredients:

2 cups dry white wine

1/2 cup minced shallots

1/2 bunch fresh parsley

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/8 teaspoon pepper

6 tablespoons butter

6 quarts mussels, scrubbed, soaked, and debearded

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

In a large pot or sauté pan with a lid, bring all ingredients but the last two to a boil. Allow the alcohol to evaporate and reduce by boiling for 3 minutes.

Add mussels to the pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Every 30 seconds or so, shake the pot around (while keep the lid tightly on) so the mussels move around and cook evenly. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the shells open*.

Carefully spoon the mussels into large soup bowls, and ladle the remaining liquid over the mussels. Garnish with chopped parsley, serve immediately, and enjoy!

 

*Don’t forget: any mussels that haven’t opened should not be eaten!

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Balsamic Chicken Cutlet over Spinach Salad with Mushrooms, Bacon, and Warm Shallot Dressing

Found this on the Food Network website. It sounded promising so I tried it. I would suggest trying it but with a few tweaks. When I made it I found the salad to be very heavy. I suggest you make less dressing and only toss the salad RIGHT before serving, so the spinach won’t wilt as much.

Ingredients For 4 servings:

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast cutlets (sometimes marked “thin cut”)

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, enough to just coat the breast slices

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, just eyeball it

• Grill seasoning blend, or coarse salt and pepper

• 4 stems fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped, about 2 tablespoons

Spinach Salad :

• 1 pound center cut bacon , chopped into 1-inch pieces

• 1 pound fresh spinach leaves, trimmed and cleaned

• 8 gourmet white stuffing mushrooms , thinly sliced

• 8 radishes, thinly sliced

• 4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle Dressing :

• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball the amount, plus 1 tablespoons

• 1 large shallot, minced

• 3 rounded spoonfuls Dijon mustard

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Individual portion:

• 1/2 pound boneless chicken breast cutlets

• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, 2 splashes • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, eyeball the amount

• Grill seasoning, such as Montreal Seasoning by McCormick, or, coarse salt and black pepper

• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves stripped from stem and finely chopped

• 4 slices center cut bacon

• 1/4 pound fresh spinach, trimmed and cleaned

• 2 gourmet white stuffing mushrooms, thinly sliced

• 2 red radishes, thinly sliced

• 1 scallion, thinly sliced on an angle

• 1/2 shallot, chopped

• 1 /4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, just eyeball it

• 1 rounded spoonful Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions Coat chicken with balsamic, oil, seasoning and rosemary and set aside. In a skillet, add chopped bacon, work in 2 batches if preparing salad for 4. Brown bacon over medium high heat, then transfer the bits to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Using center cut bacon will cut down on the pan drippings that spatter. Coarsely chop spinach leaves and add to salad bowl. Top with mushrooms, radishes, scallions. Season salad with salt and pepper. Wipe out the bacon pan and return to stove turning heat back to medium low. Add 1 tablespoon oil for your dressing and shallots and reduce heat to medium. Saute shallots for 3 minutes. Remove oil and shallots from heat. In a bowl, combine mustard and balsamic vinegar. Stream in 2/3 cup oil slowly while whisking the dressing to emulsify it. Add warm shallots and toss with spinach salad to coat evenly. Add cooked bacon and toss again. Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken cutlets, 4 minutes on each side, in a single layer. Slice breasts on an angle on your cutting board once they are all out of the pan. Pile spinach salad on to dinner plate/plates. Top each salad with 2 sliced chicken cutlet pieces. For individual portion follow the above method. Found at:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/balsamic-chicken-cutlet-spinach-salad-mushrooms-bacon-warm-shallot-dressing-recipe/index.html

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