Oven-baked chicken cutlets

5 long years and two Towergardens later (see below)...  I still miss Chester, and also coach-cat and Albert too.  I no longer play in the soil, but I still grow food.  I never did figure out how to market my chili seasoning; now I just give it away to those who appreciate me.  Everything has become a tad more serious as the kids have grown into not-so-little people, and husband has put his foot down with my capricious ways.  Still, everybody eats.  And I continue to cook.

So... I've been borrowing my friends' casual week-night recipes, and tonight I will share with you my adaptation of Shannon's recipe for baked chicken cutlets.  Moist and delicious, these are easy to prepare.  Shannon's version includes a sprinkle of grated parmesan before baking, which adds a whole other dimension of flavor.

4 pounded chicken cutlets
1 egg
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
dry herbs of your choice (tarragon is particularly yummy)
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Combine egg, mustard, mayo and seasoning in a shallow dish.  Slather all over the chicken cutlets and allow to marinade in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

Remove the cutlets from the marinade and coat with panko crumbs.  Place on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil or parchment paper which is sprayed with cooking oil.  Spray the chicken also with a bit of cooking oil.  Bake at 350 degrees F until the crust is golden and the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees F, about 40-45 minutes.

Veal Osso Bucco with Yams and Sage

Oh my good Lord!!!  Can there be anything more delicious??  This must be Nirvana, pure bliss:  the tastiest comfort food that has reached my mouth in years, on the back drop of the most spectacular sunset of the year.  Oh I just HAVE to share it with you.  Yams were on sale and the veal shanks looked good enough to eat right out of the display at Whole Foods.  But how to put it all together?  Think SAGE.  Add a bottle of Alsatian style Pinos Gris, and VAVOOM!!!  Wake me up next week.

3 pounds (4 pieces) veal osso bucco

sea salt

course ground pepper

dry sage

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil

1 brown onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 medium stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, one crushed

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs parsley

4-5 fresh sage leaves

1 bottle semi-dry white wine

more salt and pepper to taste

2 medium yams, cut in 1" cubes

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle shanks generously with salt, pepper and dry sage.  Allow to rest at room temperature for one hour.  Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy oven-proof cast iron casserole that has an oven-proof lid.  Sprinkle half of flour over shanks and place in the screaming hot pot, floured side down.  Flour the other side and sear.  Set shanks aside.  Reduce heat, add diced onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, half of thyme and half of parsley  and the crushed garlic clove to the pot.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until soft.  Add wine and scrape up stuck good bits.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and add remaining herbs with meat and yams.  Place in 325 degree oven, and cook covered for 2 hours.  

Meanwhile, heat butter and oil over medium high heat, add mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper.  Saute for 5 -10 minutes and add to the delicious pot in the oven.  While you're in the oven, taste and adjust seasoning.  Then allow the pot to go nuts with flavor in the oven for another half hour or so.   Be prepared to feast on the best comfort stew you've ever had.

Lavendered Chanterelle Soup

It's been so long that I forgot my password!  Politics just got too heated and my Facebook habit was out of control.  But I'm back.  I actually have a dinner party coming up, and I had to plan a menu today.  As I was strolling through Costco, where I purchase my whole tenderloin of beef, I found a one-pound package of chanterelle mushrooms for $8.99 which inspired me tremendously.  These are ordinarily upwards of $30/lb at my usual produce shop.

1 pound Chanterelle mushrooms

juice of half lemon

2 tablespoons butter

1 sprig thyme

1 sprig lavender

1 small shallot, diced finely

1/4 cup white wine

1.5 cups milk

salt and pepper to taste

Brush the dirt off mushrooms and trim off the stems.  Place in a food processor, sprinkle with lemon juice and coarsely grind.  Melt butter over medium high heat in a 5-qt casserole.  Add shallots and cook for one minute, then the ground mushrooms.  Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms give up their liquid.  Add the herbs and cook until all the liquid has evaporated.  Add wine and stir up the stuck brown bits, cook until the wine completely evaporates, then reduce the heat to medium and add the milk.  Remove the herbs.  Combine well, bring to boil, taste and adjust seasoning.  Reduce the heat and cook a few minutes until well blended and slightly thick consistency.