The other night I made Mark Bittman's lemon chicken with leeks, which is buttery and light and lick-the-plate-clean good. The perfect springtime meal.
Jack and Nellie, however, couldn't have disagreed more. They liked the chicken enough to nibble on it between bites of pasta, but the leeks didn't go over well. Nellie kept trying them, shuddering, giving me a "what did you just make me eat?!" look, pouting, and going back to her pasta. Jack took one bite and proceeded to methodically drop each piece on the floor.
Was it the texture? The added bitterness of the lemon? Maybe next time they'll be able to articulate their problem with this cousin of the onion. (Or maybe they're just 15 months old.) Until then, this will be an adults-only dish in our house.
From Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, which is one of the most wonderful and comprehensive cookbooks we own.
4 tbsp butter or extra virgin olive oil (we used butter)
2 leeks, washed well and diced, including some of the green part, or 2 small onions, diced
½ cup dry white wine or water
½ cup chicken or vegetable stock or water
½ tsp chopped fresh thyme or tarragon leaves or a good pinch dried
Approximately 1½ lbs boneless white-meat chicken (breasts, cutlets, or tenders), cut into 1- to 1½-inch chunks
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
flat leaf parsley
Put half the butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the leeks and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, stock, and herb; bring to a boil and let bubble for a minute or two.
Add the chicken, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the meat is barely cooked through, 5 or 6 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
Turn the heat up to high and cook the sauce rapidly, stirring occasionally, until just about ¾ cup remains; this will take 5 to 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the lemon juice, then stir in the remaining butter or oil, a bit at a time. If you’re using oil, add it gradually, stirring vigorously with the back of a spoon as you do so.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and return the chicken to the sauce to heat through.
Put half the butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the leeks and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, stock, and herb; bring to a boil and let bubble for a minute or two.
Add the chicken, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the meat is barely cooked through, 5 or 6 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
Turn the heat up to high and cook the sauce rapidly, stirring occasionally, until just about ¾ cup remains; this will take 5 to 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the lemon juice, then stir in the remaining butter or oil, a bit at a time. If you’re using oil, add it gradually, stirring vigorously with the back of a spoon as you do so.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and return the chicken to the sauce to heat through.
(I added parsley for the photo, but you can see it was wilted so I removed it before eating.)
We served it to the tots with some pasta but ate ours with crusty ciabatta, and it was freakin' delicious, no matter what those crazy kids say.
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