Sauteed Chicken with Butternut Squash in a Beer Maple Sauce Topped with Shitake Mushrooms

Recently a client that produces beer asked me to create a few menu items using their brand. Since I had never cooked with beer before I decided to experiment on a few friends. What resulted was this delicious dish that was a wonderful blend of savory and sweet and a perfect Fall dish--colors and all.

Serves 4

Ingredients.

12 fillets of boneless chicken breast (seasoned and dredged in flour)
1 butternut squash (quartered and seeds removed)
4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons maple syrup
6 oz beer
12 oz chicken broth
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 lb. shitake mushrooms (stems removed and sliced)
1/2 lb french beans (optional)

Bake the squash in a 400 degree oven until tender but still firm. Cool, remove the skin and any stringy particles still remaining. Dice into medium bite sized cubes and set aside.

In a small saute pan cook the mushrooms in hot (but not smoking) canola oil until golden and crispy (about 3 minutes). Remove and drain on paper towel, season with salt and set aside.
Steam or saute the string beans until tender but still firm. Season

In the meantime, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil and cook the chicken until golden on each side and cooked through (about 4 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken). Remove, season and set aside. Lower the heat, add the flour and mix with the juices in the pan. Cook for about one minute until golden. Add the beer, stir and add the broth and the syrup. Reduce the sauce for about 2 minutes (add a bit more broth and beer if too thick) until it resembles the consistency of a thin syrup. Add the squash to the pan along with the butter. Toss until the pieces are warm and coated with the sauce.

Plate by piling the squash onto the center of each plate, anchored by the chicken. Drizzle with the sauce, top with the mushrooms and the beans. Serve and enjoy!

It Starts With Good Food

Growing up, good food -- food that hadn’t been sprayed, injected, engineered, or otherwise altered -- was readily available. For my family it was as close as our backyard garden. And if we didn’t grow it, can it, or make it from scratch, we purchased it from small local purveyors: the fruit guy, the meat guy, the fish guy--in other words, the butcher, the baker and anything else we needed was close by and affordable. How different is the food climate today? Sure we can buy local and organic, but the average family can’t afford it! Yet my father, a working class man, was easily able to buy the best and freshest food even though he had six kids. I don’t know about you, but when the average family is cut off from good food, I think something is rotten. And like most things gone wrong, they happen over time. Maybe the idea is that if negative changes motivated by greed creep up on us slowly and we’re distracted long enough, we won’t notice until it’s too late and we’re trapped in a system that supports the interests of the very few over the needs of most. Nothing will ever make me believe that anything that comes with an ingredient list the size of a newspaper column is good for me, regardless of how pretty the package or how clever the commercials. Sorry but I’m not that brain dead despite the poisons positioned everywhere.

Until we realize that everyone, not just the rich, deserves access to good food: until we, the majority, stop buying the cr.. loaded on supermarket shelves across America; until we take responsibility for our buying power (depleted as it may be) and use it wisely, things will not improve. Changes are happening-- good changes--and as usual they happen because of individual efforts that grow, just like a garden, and spread their seeds everywhere. And once they find fertile ground, eventually we’ll harvest this pristine power and propel it towards what’s real, what’s worthwhile, equitable and authentic--and we’ll see the effects in supermarkets, farmlands, and boardrooms.

Maybe when each and every one of us has access to good food, our children and grandchildren will know, once again what real food tastes like. And when the butchers the bakers and the gardens return, our spirits, along with our bodies will be nourished, and from this replenished place anything is possible.

Enjoy the harvest from gardens everywhere. Share the bounty of what grows there and let it nourish the growth within you.

The Astronaut Farmer

Last night I saw the movie, “The Astronaut Farmer” with Billy Bob Thornton. In one scene when he was feeling particularly dejected, his father in law reminded him of what a great father he was when he said, “You are an amazing father. I couldn’t even get my family to share a meal. You got your family to share a dream.” Whatever your dream, believe it possible and share it always.

Jambota (Zucchini Stes)

Jambota (Zucchini Stew)

In keeping with the zucchini theme, it wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t let you in on a gem of a recipe, perfect for all the fresh zucchini growing in our gardens and available at supermarkets and farmers markets everywhere.

Every year when the harvest of our backyard garden produced an abundance of zucchini, my mother went from frying up the blossoms to making a stew out of the zucchini, which was the epitome of simplicity and deliciousness. Made with potatoes, onions, zucchini (of course) and tomato, this is an old time recipe (from the Calabria region of Italy) that is frugal gourmet at it’s best.

Feeds 2-3

2 small (or one large) zucchini (cut in half lengthwise and in ¼ inch half moons)
4 small Yukon gold potatoes (cut in ¼ inch half moons)
1 large sweet onion (1/2 inch slices)
1 clove garlic (minced)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons tomato paste (see note)
2 cups water (or light chicken broth)
1-teaspoon chicken base (a paste found in the broth section of most supermarkets)
Season with salt and pepper
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and parmesan cheese (optional)

In a large sauté pan

Add oil and heat over medium/high heat until hot but not smoking
Add potatoes (lower heat to medium) and cooking until golden and they begin to soften (about 5 minutes)
Add onions and zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes
Follow with the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for a few moments, add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate it with the pan juices.
Follow with the water and chicken paste (or broth) stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes and zucchini are soft yet not mushy.
Season, garnish and serve.

Note: I’ve updated the original recipe a bit and used tomato paste instead of crushed tomatoes because I wanted to make this dish fast. Certainly, you can use crushed tomatoes, however, I would first cook them separately for about 20 minutes before adding them to the stew. The reason is that the zucchini, potatoes and onions could quickly and the canned tomatoes need more time.

3 Steps to a Fuss Free Feast

Many people get nervous and frustrated when planning a party. I suppose it can feel quite overwhelming. What do you make to feed a crowd? How can you prepare a variety of dishes and have them ready at the same time? How can you create a party atmosphere, shop and cook all the food and still enjoy the party? “Was I crazy when I said I’d host a party for 50?” you ask. Help!

People are always so amazed that I can handle party preparations so easily. But I’m certainly not alone in this. Some people are naturally suited to all facets of entertaining and the ones who aren’t…they outsource and hire professional chefs and caterers like me. What’s our secret? I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. “It’s all in the planning.”

This weekend I have to prepare all the food for a luncheon baby shower with a guest list of 35 and a cooking class for 14--both on the same day. Here’s how I’ll do it. But first, the top 3 criteria for planning most parties.

1. Besides being delicious, each dish can not be labor intensive; that means choosing menu items that use a variety of cooking techniques at the same time. ie; baking, grilling, and stove top. This way while something is in the oven or on the grill (or both) I can be doing something else. Simple efficiency.

2. No more than one or two menu items should require the need to be individually hand molded or shaped. The reason for this is that not only does this take lots of time, but you’ll need lots of them! The rule of thumb is that when making a small bite of something (all those little hors d’ oeuvres that get passed around on platters at cocktail parties) there should be 2.5--3 pieces per person. For a party of 35, that would be around 100 pieces!

3. Finally, the menu should have the following mix: 1/3 can be made two days ahead (at least partially), 1/3 the night before and 1/3 the day of.

Keeping these top three tips in mind, here is my menu for the party.


Appetizers

Platter of Fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes, basil and roasted red peppers (roasted peppers can be made 2 days ahead, the rest the day of)

Eggplant Meatballs made with grilled eggplant, ground pork and turkey (made two days ahead/baked the day of)

Crudite that is made with assorted vegetables and dip. (cut the night before/assembled the day of)

Main Dishes

Side of Salmon with a panko/pine nut crust, served with a tomato and fruit salsa (topping 2 days before, salsa the day before/baked the day of)

Filet Mignon, blackened and served thinly sliced with a horseradish sauce (sauce 2 days before/meat grilled the day before/cut and put on a platter the day of)

Classic Caesar Salad (dressing 2 days before/salad mixed just before serving)

Tubettini Pasta Salad with sun dried tomatoes, olives, asparagus, tomatoes (cooked and tossed the night before with a bit of olive oil/finished the day of)

Shredded Chicken Salad with Pesto (pesto 2 days before/chicken cooked and shredded the day before/put on a platter the day of)

Assorted breads (nothing needed but purchased fresh the morning of and sliced just before serving)


As for the cooking class…after menu planning and shopping, I don’t have to do a thing but show up. The students do all the cooking! That’s why I can do both on the same day!