Ok guys I don't even know where to start here. All kinds of recipes packed into this post today! We have Chicken Scallopini, which is just a very thin cut of meat dredged in flour with a sauce on top. Then we have "the sauce", Spinach-Almond Pesto. And lastly, we have a Farro salad with mushrooms. Farro is an ancient grain, I've never had it before today. I treated it almost like a risotto. The taste is a cross between pasta and rice. Very interesting, high in protein and good!
For the chicken:
Four thin cuts of boneless skinless chicken breast
Four thick slices of Fontina Cheese (or Gouda, Mozzarella works too)
1/2 cup flour to dredge (if you need gluten free, skip this step it won't make a huge difference)
s/p to taste
Toothpicks to hold chicken in place
Farro:
2 Large Portobello Mushroom caps, chopped
1 box of Farro, cooked in chicken broth.
Grated Cheese ( I used Pecorino Romano) to top it off with
Some fresh parsley, optional
A squeeze of lemon juice
A few tablespoons of reserved chicken broth
Spinach-Almond Pesto:
5 oz fresh spinach
At least 1/2 cup grated cheese (Pecorino Romano)
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
Handful of Almonds
Good olive oil
s/p to taste
2 cloves of garlic
For the Spinach Pesto; In a food processor, or a blender works too, add in the spinach, cheese, lemon juice, garlic and almonds. While it's running, add in olive oil until it's blended well, but has a thick texture. Kind of chunky. You will see a picture below to know what exactly you want to look for. There is no actual measurement of olive oil I can give you. You can just see when it's ready. (Yes it's just really that easy!)
Ok kids, while the Farro is cooking in the chicken broth, dredge the chicken in the flour, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a piece of Fontina cheese inside the chicken breast, roll it and secure it with a couple toothpicks. Repeat process for all the chicken. In a large skillet heat olive oil, place the chicken seam side down, and brown on each side. Remove from heat and place into a shallow baking dish. Pour the pesto over each piece of chicken. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until full cooked and juices run clear.
In the same skillet, add a little more olive oil if need be, add in the mushrooms, s/p to taste, a couple tablespoons of the chicken broth. Saute' the mushrooms until tender, scraping up the bits on the bottom of the skillet. Mix the mushroom mixture with the cooked Farro. Sprinkle on some cheese, parsley and or lemon juice, give it a good toss and serve.
So aside from the Fontina cheese (which there really isn't much of) this is a high protein healthy dish!
Store any extra pesto that hasn't been cooked with the chicken in an air tight container, in the fridge. It goes great on macaroni, in lasagnas, as a spread for sandwiches, and so many more things. Experiment and enjoy!
See it's almost like a paste. This is what you want to look for.
Copyright © 2012 Salvo-lutions by, Dana Salvo
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