Good morning folks!

Hope everyone has been double vaxxed and has passed their 2 week wait afterwards to achieve complete inoculation. It’s a very liberating experience.

Here’s a strange story from my strange life: I’ve had tickets for a concert that’s supposed to be Monday August 30th of this year. I’ve had these tickets for about a year and a half. It’s to see The Black Crowes at Red Rocks outside of Denver. Originally scheduled for late August 2020 and obviously rescheduled for a year later. Still not 100% certain it’s going to go off but it hasn’t been cancelled yet. Red Rocks hasn’t had a live concert yet this year and pretty much the entire calendar was cancelled or rescheduled for 2022. 

Not the Crowes though. It still shows on the calendar. I’m in the “wait and see” mode and I will go if the show is held.

OK then.

I mentioned several months ago that I would be attending my first real event since the start of the pandemic this coming June. It’s for the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit in Downtown LA. I have tickets for eldest right and the two eldest granddaughters. Late June should be OK as far as safety etc.

Got an email last week that said due to logistical and supply-chain issues they had to postpone the exhibit from its late June date.

Wanna guess when my tickets were rescheduled for?

Sunday August 29th. AKA the night before the concert.

I haven’t done FUCK ALL for over a fucking year and the idiotic stars align to have this shit happen?

What the ever-loving FUCK Universe?

How did you pull that fucking shit off?

Fuck it. If they both go off as NOW scheduled I’ll fucking do it. I’ll just see the Van Gogh exhibit Sunday night and then fly out to Denver on Monday. Still not sure they both happen as currently scheduled though.

Un-fucking-believable.

 

Anyway.

 

You’re going to be glad you got up early for this menu today. 

Holy shit folks. This is 5 star restaurant quality and ANYONE can make this.

In addition to an incredible meal we will also be experimenting with a new snack item that I find extremely intriguing. It’s all new technology and shit.

Or this is going to drive you insane and you’ll have a full Italian dinner before noon. Either way.

Let’s get this started properly.

We’re going to make Chicken Piccata today along with a familiar side dish of angel hair parmesan noodles.

Bread? You ask.

Bread I sez.

Obviously with all of the rising and forming and proofing and punching we’ll start the bread first.

Of course then we follow the logical steps by…

After starting the sponge we’re going to…

Then make with the mixing, the oiled bowl, the 2 rises and the shaping, forming and baking. I’m not even gonna link to that fucker. Just go through basically any Sunday Gravy episode from this season and you’ll see the link for the bread.

Now about that snack thing I mentioned earlier. As the resident food guy here at [Door Flies Open] I feel obligated to stay up to date on new food trends, concepts and especially new food technology. A few weeks ago I read this article. It’s rather lengthy but it’s a really good read and it focuses on…

What’s so new about cheese you wonder? Look closer.

Yes, that says “Vegan” cheese. Don’t shit yourselves just yet. This is not the same as old school vegan cheese that, as the article says, tastes like “melted crayons.” This shit is made the exact same way as cow or sheep’s milk cheese it’s just made with cashew milk.

I know, right! I was intrigued as fuck too. First of all I love the concept and the possibilities but most importantly I love me some gatdamn cashews.

Let’s give this the old taste test.

Slap some on a standard Wheat Thin and give it a try.

It’s rich, creamy, salty and you get the oniony notes from the chives.

This package didn’t last 3 hours before it was gone. Delicious.

Yes, it tasted like REAL cheese made from dairy milk.

Are you familiar with the softer herb cheeses from “Boursin” and “Alouette?” Companies that make a spreadable cheese? It’s very much along those lines.

I was super fucking impressed

A little warning, since this can only be made – right now – in small batches, it is a bit expensive. Like almost 10 bucks for that 6.5 ounce package. 

Kind of cool to be trying brand new food ideas before they take off though.

 

Back to this one.

Chicken Piccata is an Italian/American restaurant staple. Very simple to make. Think chicken schnitzel cooked in a white wine, chicken stock and lemon sauce with capers. You get the general idea. 

Chicken Piccata!

recipe inspired by spendwithpennies.com

2 boneless skinless half chicken breasts sliced in half on the bias

1/2 cup of flour

Zest of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce

1/4 cup of butter

2 tablespoons of flour

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup of white wine – as always cook with what you would drink

1 cup of chicken stock. Homemade would be best but store bought is fine

3 tablespoons of capers – drained and rough chopped

Sprinkle of fresh chives to garnish

 

Let’s go ahead and juice and zest the lemon since we’ll be using both.

Mix that zest right into the flour that’s been seasoned with the salt and pepper.

Really!

Let’s check up on our bread.

Holy shit! Let the bread cool down while assembling dinner.

Now this next trick is a beauty and it should be used whenever you are sauteing anything.

Use a combination of butter and olive oil. Equal parts of each.

Trust me on this.

Over a medium heat.

Let’s grab one of the chicken breasts while the oil and butter are coming to temp.

Then carefully slice it in half lengthwise.

Take the remaining breast and try and do a better job than that.

A bit better but still a work in progress.

Take a slice of the chicken and dredge it in the flour/zest mix and get it into the awaiting pan.

These only need about 5 minutes a side. We just want to get a lovely brown on the chicken and it will finish cooking in the sauce.

Keep the chicken warm in a 225 degree oven when working in batches until all of the chicken has been browned.

We now build the sauce.

Bet your ass that’s a lot of butter. Add in the flour and get the roux tightening up

In goes the chicken stock. Wish I had some homemade on hand.

[Makes mental note]

That roux is starting to tighten that sauce up nicely.

Next we will add the lemon juice and the white wine. 

Yes, I employ the old adage that you cook with what you drink. Seaglass is a nice lower priced pinot  grigio which worked perfectly for this dish. There are plenty of recipes that use a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc but I am absolutely a pinot grigio guy when it comes to white wine.

Let’s get our capers in there.

This can cook for 5-6 minutes or so. We want that sauce thickening up. It’s more of a texture thing than a watch the timer thing. When the sauce is the right texture we’re going to get that chicken back into the sauce.

Cook for a couple of minutes per side and be sure to get that chicken fully coated in sauce.

Give a small sprinkling of chive right on top.

Looking real nice.

For our side dish, something familiar.

We start by 

grating up about 1/2 a cup of Parmigianno Reggiano.

Get a sauce pan out and build a roux with 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour then add in 1 cup of heavy cream and the grated parm.

That’s right! That IS a Mornay sauce! Good job!

Cook up some angel hair pasta then add the sauce and stir until well combined.

Beautiful.

Give the noodles a sprinkling of the chives too. You know, symmetry and shit.

Let’s plate up.

Motherfucker!

I would charge $24.99 for that. Get a close up of that chicken.

Holy fuck. See the silky texture of the sauce? Jumpin’ Jesus.

Oooh! Let’s get a close up of the noodles next.

Of course I made the garlic bread from scratch.

Where to start here? That sauce is insanely delicious. The mineral notes from the Pinot Grigio, slight tang of the lemon and the bit of brininess from the capers. It’s smooth as silk and could be poured in a glass and drank strait. Don’t do that though.

The chicken is so moist and tender you can cut it with the edge of your fork.

/drools uncontrollably

Those noodles have been a go-to side dish for me for decades and I love them every time I make them. Rich, satisfying and belly warming.

Warm, crisp garlic bread. DAMMIT I just made myself hungry writing about this.

Put them all together?

I want to offer an assignment for you adventurous cooks out there.

Make this. As written. Make it for an anniversary or birthday dinner or just to impress someone.

YOU can do it! Yes, you!

If done right – no shortcuts dammit – with a good white wine and fresh lemon juice it is sublime. The perfect balance of simple and sophisticated. 

Know what else? It’s inexpensive as shit to make!

Common elements today? Butter and garlic.

Bet your ass is hungry now.

That’s consecutive weeks where the meal was incredible. This was also one of those meals where the leftover chicken and sauce will be whispering sexy, saucy things in your ear while you watch TV.

“Eat me. EEEEAAATT Me.”

Oh yeah. It is that good.

 

Thanks for reading along folks.

You are all an inspiration for me.

Be Safe.

Be Well.

PEACE!