Chicken Piccata (Chicken with a Lemony Butter Sauce)

There is a good reason why some dishes have become classics. Piccata is considered more of a preparation than a dish unto itself, and most places try to sell you Veal Piccata. This is no place for those kind of discussions but Veal will never be prepared in this Workshop. Piccata is scallapiones of some sort, dredged in flour and fried up with a lemony butter sauce. It will always be the practice of this Workshop to jazz things up a little bit when possible. So this dish has the chicken sauteed and paired with a sauce made from garlic, lemon juice, lemon slices, vegetable broth, white wine, and capers. The sauce gives you a nice buttery kind of feeling with a little acid to cut it and a few goodies to peak your interest. Note: be careful when adding the capers, if they are packed in vinegar they are going to take your acid levels through the roof.

The Starting Line Up

Chicken in a bag about to get whacked

WHACK!

Sorry ladies, the Workshop cooker is in fact married

Nicely browned on one side and going for the second

The sauce simmering away, notice the lemon slices

Chicken Piccata with Angel Hair

General Notes:
Prep Time: 15 - 20 minutes depending on how fast you can flatten a piece of chicken
Servings: recipe is for 2 butcan be expanded easily
Notes: Taste the sauce before you "finish" if you are not careful you can make it feel like a Warhead. There are a lot of ranges in the ingredients as there are a lot of variables to adjust. You will have to adjust it to your taste.

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Cutlets, pounded flat
1/2 cup to 1 cup Vegetable or Chicken Broth
1/2 cup White Wine, good enough to drink but do not spend more than $3
2 -4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup - 1 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
Capers to taste, rinsed (some are packed in vinegar, some packed in salty brine. PAY ATTENTION TO THIS AS IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. it does not matter which just keep it in mind while making the sauce)
1/2 lemon sliced thin
juice of 1/2 a lemon
Olive Oil as needed
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Equipment:
Knife
Cutting Board
Plastic bag, or wax paper
Something heavy and flat that will not break or bend, either a meat hammer or fry pan
plate for dredging the flour
fry pan big enough to hold the chicken breasts, you can also do it stages if you do not have one

Written Instructions:

• Place the chicken cutlet between two pices of wax paper or in a ziploc bag and smack it with your blunt object until they have flattened out a bit more. The goal is to make them flat and even. Start at the edges and smack in an outward motion to almost stretch the chicken breast out to the egdes. Repeat until all the cutlets are flattened.
  
• Dredge the chicken breasts through the seasoned flour until they are evenly coated. shake off the excess.
• Pour some Olive Oil into a pan that has been heating over Medium heat. Carefully add the chicken so that it lies in one layer across the bottom. Pan fry for 3 or 4 minutes until the first side is browned. Repeat on second side and remove from pan and set aside somewhere to keep warm.
• Add the butter to the pan, quickly swirling and add the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds.
  
• Deglaze the pan with the white wine, using a rubber scraper or wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
• Add the vegetable broth, butter, and lemon slices.
• Add a few capers and taste the sauce to check the acidity level. If the sace seems to acidic add some butter or a pinch of sugar or something sweet.
• Add as many capers as you like being careful not to make the sauce too acidic.
• Add the chicken back to the pan, and baste with the sauce. Ensure that the chicken feels firm to the touch(cooked) and that if pricked the juices run clear.
• Serve with Angel hair pasta, or mashed Potatoes, or something starchy.
• Make it happen in your tum tum
  

Spring Time Asparagus with Lemon and Friends

Spring has sprung and to food related places everywhere that means Asparagus is back. Yes there are plenty of delightful ingredients that have sprung as well but lets not be the types to bring that up right now. Lemons are still on the workbench, and they do wonderful things to asparagus. Most notably brightening their already fresh flavor. Steamed Asparagus with a just squeeze of lemon on it has been known to make grown men weak at the knees. Granted these men typically are either very old, have knee problems or both.

Moving on to the dish in question. Asparagus is roasted with garlic, spring onions, lemon juice and olive oil to create a muted but bright flavor. It is easy to make and looks far more impressive that it is. On to the pictures.

Raw Asparagus, washed, trimmed and ready for the dance

The shy dance partners lined up against the wall hoping for Asparagus to pick them

A fight has broken out among the hopefuls and they have become barely recognizable

Happy day. Asparagus has chosen all of them to play twister

The aftermath of them getting baked together

General Notes:
Prep Time: 20 to 30 minutes depending on your knife skills
Servings: 4 as a side

Ingredients:
1 pound Asparagus, trimmed and peeled (peeled if they are hugely fat)
Juice of 1 lemon and as much zest as you like
3 or 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped as not to burn up in oven
2 spring onions or 1 leek, roughly chopped as not to burn up in oven
Olive Oil as needed
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Equipment:
Knife
Cutting Board
Hands or very dexterous feet
Roasting pan or cookie sheet
Oven preheated to 350 degrees
small mixing bowl, or cereal bowl

Written Instructions:

• Rinse and trim your Asparagus. The Asparagus can be trimmed a couple ways, the woody ends can be broken off at their bending point individually or one can be broken and the rest cut at that point. Okay the breaking point is found by holding the asparagus in your hands or feet near the thick end and bending it out until it breaks.
• Combine the other ingredients in a small bowl. The mixture should be pretty loose
• Toss the Asparagus with the mixture on the roasting pan and put into the oven
• Roast the Asparagus for 10 to 15 minutes or until the Asparagus and mixture have browned slightly and the Asparagus gives slightly to pressure.
• Remove from oven and make it happen in your tum tum.
  

Upgraded Gremolata and Parsnip Risotto

This recipe could be considered a two-for, in the respect that this recipe will illustrate how to make risotto as well as Gremolata. Risotto is one of the great staple recipes that every cook should know how to make. It is inexpensive to make and can be used as a base for nearly anything to be added to it. The most simple form uses only two ingredients, rice (Arborio is best) and water. There are far too many upgrades to list here, but this recipe will show some common ones. The risotto is flavored with a version of Gremolata to add a nice bright clean flavor as a counterpoint to the creamy risotto and Parsnips to add a bit of sweetness. If you are not quite ready to tackle the risotto, try tossing the Gremolata with some freshly boiled Angel Hair pasta.

Arborio, Ginger, Garlic, Mint and Parsley ready to go to work

The combined "Gremolata"

Parsnips, peeled and unpeeled

Diced Parsnips and Onions getting some color

The Arborio joins the pan party

The first ladle of broth makes it a hot tub party

The first ladel of broth has been absorbed and the pan is ready for some more

The Arborio has absorbed the broth, softened and has the "Gremolata" added

General Notes:
Total Time: 30 - 45 minutes depending on your stirring and knife skills
Servings: 2- 4 depending on it being a side dish or main dish
Notes: The normal ratio for Risotto is 4 parts water/broth to 1 part Arborio rice, the ratio seems to be more like 5 to 1 and sometimes 6 to 1 depending on how hot the pans are. In other words, be ready to use more broth than you think you will need to.

Equipment:
2 Quart Sauce Pan
2-4 Quart Saute or Fry Pan
Knife, Ladle, Cutting Board, Spatula or Wooden Spoon

Ingredients:
Gremolata
Zest of 2 lemons, grated or chopped fine
4-6 Garlic Cloves, depending on how Garlicky you like it
1 -2 tbsp Fresh Ginger, grated or chopped fine, depends on how much you like ginger
1 - 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped fine
1 - 2 tbsp Fresh Mint, chopped fine
2- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Kosher Salt to Taste

Risotto
2 Medium Parsnips, peeled and diced
1/2 Medium Yellow Onion, peeled and diced
1/2 cup Arborio rice
2 1/2 to 3 cups Vegetable Broth
1/2 cup White Wine (optional)
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt to Taste

Written Instructions:

• Add the Vegetable Broth to the Sauce pan and set to a simmer on the burner next to your fry pan
• Combine all the ingredients for the Gremolata and set aside
• Add the fry pan to the burner next to the sauce pan and begin heating over medium heat
• Peel and dice the Onion and the Parsnip
• Add some Olive Oil to the fry pan, let heat momentarily and add the Onion and Parsnip
• Add a pinch of Kosher Salt and Saute until the onion and Parsnip have browned slightly
• Add the Arborio to the pan and stir to ensure that it has been coated with the oil
• Add the White wine to the pan, if using and stir until the liquid is nearly gone
• Add a ladle or two of simmering broth to the risotto mixture and begin stirring
• Stir until the liquid is mostly absorbed/evaporated and add another ladle or two of broth
• Continue adding and stirring until the rice has lost its crunch and tastes somewhat creamy
• Add roughly 3/4 of the prepared Gremolata to the pan and stir to combine
• Taste the Risotto and adjust the seasoning as necessary
• Remove from the heat, transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with remaining Gremolata
• Make it happen in your tum tum
  

Lemonade, Amish Style

Let's be honest. The first thing that you thought of when you heard Lemons were being worked on was Lemonade. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing. However, had you not immediately thought of the honest, hard working Amish women working on some delightful Lemonade perhaps while the men are raising a barn, or driving a buggy or generally just doing things without the use of electricity, then you should be ashamed. Make this Lemonade and your shame will be lifted, not unlike that barn wall. The following is the Amish method of making Lemonade. It features a bright, full Lemon flavor that is far more round than the powdered variety you are used to.

A serrated knife is used to start breaking down the Lemons

The Lemons, halved with the tops and bottoms removed, ready to be sliced

Thinly sliced Lemon ready to go into the pot

The sliced Lemons covered in sugar, ready for their massage

The mashing /muddling begins

The mashing/muddling when finished

The resulting mush is then strained through a fine mesh strainer into a waiting pitcher

The strained lemon syrup is then mixed with cold water

General Notes
Time: 10 - 20 minutes, depends on your cutting speed and your muddling/mashing speed
Servings: 6 - 8 glasses of Lemonade
Notes: Adjust the amount of water and sugar to you personal taste

Equipment:
Cutting Board
Serrated Knife (preferred)
Pitcher
Fine Mesh Strainer
Potato Masher, or back of a spoon, or bottom of a ladle, child's clean feet, fists
Big Pot, pasta boiling pot or something that you can mash in and fits 12 Lemons cut up

Ingredients:
13 Lemons, any type will work
1 & 3/4 Cup Sugar
1 & 1/2 to 2 quarts (6-8 cups) cold Water

Written Instructions:

• Wash all of the lemons as you will be using the skin as well
• slice the tops and bottoms from 12 of the lemons, and halve them
• Thinly slice the lemons and add them into the big pot
• Add the sugar to the big pot
• Using the potato masher start mashing the lemons up with the sugar
• Keep going until the sugar has dissolved and you are left with a viscous syrup
• Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a waiting pitcher
• Gently press down on the mush each time to try and get as much syrup out as possible
• Then mix in the cold water and check the flavor
• Add fresh lemon juice if it needs some more acid, more sugar if it is too tart
• When the flavor is ready, make it happen in your tum tum
  

Selection and Basic Preparation

Selection
Lemons are typically available all year, however the price and quality tends to be at its best around January and February. This is the time of year where anyone you know who has a Lemon tree starts bringing them by your house until your house is mostly Lemons.

There are a few different variety of Lemons, most notably Lisbon and Eureka. These are the two most common types of Lemons that you can find are not different enough from each other for most grocery stores to label them as different or for us to discuss their differences.

The third most common type is the Meyer Lemon which is substantially different from the other two. Most interestingly it is not even considered to be a proper Lemon, but more a member of the citrus family that is closest to lemons. It differs from standard Lemons in that it is not quite as acidic, with a floral note. Compared to regular lemons, Meyer lemons are thinner- and smoother-skinned, rounder in shape, and have a deeper yellow-orange hue. Though not exactly sweet, Meyers are less acidic than regular lemons, and their zest and juice has herbal, even floral undertones. What makes them interesting is that in cooking you do not have to add as much sweetness to counteract the acidity.

When selecting Lemons of any kind be sure to look fro brightly colored fruit that is free of cuts, bruises, scars, burns, wrinkles, squishes, or anything that makes you cringe slightly. As far as firmness is concerned you are looking for fruit that gives a little bit without being soft, but is also not hard. Basically it should feel juicy inside but not rotten.

The links in the following section will take you to Bed, Bath and Beyond. The items selected are for illustrative purposes, they are not necessarily the recommended tools. Try before you buy.

Basic Preparation
Juice
The most basic of preparations for Lemon juice is to cut it in half and squeeze the juice out. There are plenty of upgrades available for getting the most out of that little lemon and some are listed here in order the most bang for your buck.

For starters, squeeze the lemon over your other clean hand, or a strainer to catch any seeds. Seeds are not very tasty.

Next try rolling the lemon underneath a wide knife, or your hand, or a pan, or a clean shoe, or basically anything that you can slightly crush and roll the lemon without breaking the skin. This breaks up a lot of the "fruit meat" inside of the lemon and gets more juice out of it without any special tools. Another not recommended technique for getting more juice out of the lemon along the lines of the crushing trick is to microwave the lemon for a few seconds. Here are the issues with that; if you cook the lemon too long you are now either waiting for the juice to cool down, burning yourself, or adding hot juice to something which might not react well to that; also it is not nearly as effective as the rolling technique; it makes the lemon harder to cut; and on and on. In short, don't do it.

The next upgrade is to get a lemon reamer or hand held citrus juicer. The reamer is pretty good but adds a lot of pulp. The citrus juicer is in short fantastic and might be the best bang for your buck as far as tools are concerned. The trick is to cut the ends off of the lemon before putting them into the juicer, this allows the juice to pass through the lemon. This tool usually keeps most of the seeds as well.

The next upgrade is getting a non hand held citrus reamer, or an electric citrus juicer. These are the most effective at getting all the juice out of your lemons, however you now have to keep a citrus juicer somewhere in your kitchen. If you are not juicing citrus A LOT, save your money and kitchen space and get a hand held juicer.

Zest
There are a few different ways to do this, the best ways unfortunately using more equipment than just a knife. The first way is to carefully cut the zest (skin) off of the lemon and then trimming off the pith (not tasty). This is a great way to work on your knife skills, however it is a pain to say the least. The next method is to use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin in wide "sheets." This works pretty well except that you will still need to remove some pith. The next method is to use a citrus zester, a purpose built tool that removes only the skin of the lemon, leaving behind the pith. This makes thin strips of zest which can be left long or chopped up more finely. The last common method is to use something like a microplane grater, to grate the zest off, leaving behind the pith and removing it in small bits. Once again if you are going to be doing a lot of zesting or have an empty drawer go for the gusto with the microplan grater, if not get the zester. It does a great job, is inexpensive and you can use it to make garnishes and stuff.