My Boyfriend Dated A Chef

This copy-cat Cheesecake Factory recipe for chicken madeira was fantastic! I had to make a few changes to the original recipe in order to achieve the results I wanted but hot damn…this was good.

Makes 4 servings. Recipe adapted from Restaurant Recipes.

INGREDIENTS:
Chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 boneless chicken breast
8-12 asparagus spears
4 slices mozzarella cheese

Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups Madeira wine
1 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons corn starch

DIRECTIONS:
Cover chicken breast with plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thick. (I put the chicken breasts in a giant sealed zip lock instead of plastic to prevent spillage). Sprinkle each fillet with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute fillets 4-6 minutes per side until done and browned just a bit. Remove from pan and wrap in foil to keep warm while you make the sauce.

In chicken pan add olive oil and sliced mushrooms; saute for about 2 minutes. Add Madeira wine, beef stock, butter, pepper and corn starch. Bring to boil then reduce heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes until reduced to about 1/2 original volume. When sauce is done it will be thick, and brown.

While sauce is reducing, bring a pan of water to boil. Add salt to water at boil; blanch asparagus (3-5 minutes). Drop asparagus in ice water to halt cooking.

Set oven to broil. In baking dish arrange chicken, cross 2-3 asparagus stems over each piece of chicken and top with a slice of cheese. Broil until cheese melts.

To serve, top chicken with 3-4 tablespoons sauce on each piece.

Recommended Side: Mash potatoes are delicious with this dish.

TIPS + TRICKS:
I looked in multiple grocery stores for Madeira cooking wine when in fact I should have been looking in the liquor store for just plain Madeira wine. Go figure.

Tika Masala without the work! Thank you to Seeds of Change for making a great tika masala sauce in a jar. I am not a jar girl. Actually, I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to food-in-a-jar but, this is pretty fantastic stuff. And, since I’m adding my own chicken and vegetables, I still consider this something I have kinda created. Oh, and don’t skip the Basmati Rice. Seriously, Basmati Rice is fantastic. It’s light and fluffy and the perfect compliment.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

1 jar “Seeds of Change” Tika Masala Sauce (available in most grocery stores)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb skinless/boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1 - 1 ½” pieces
1 zucchini
1 onion
1 cup Basmati Rice

DIRECTIONS:
Cook Basmati Rice according to this recipe.

While rice is cooking, heat oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Sauté chicken. When chicken is near done, add Tika Masala Sauce, cover and simmer for 10 minutes on low.

In a medium pan, sauté chopped zucchini and onion. During the last 3 minutes of the chicken and sauce simmering, add the zucchini and onion to the large pan.

Serve over rice.

I have been on a search for a shrimp scampi recipe that would be comparable to the Cheesecake Factory scampi recipe and I think we have a winner. I’ve unsuccessfully tried to make scampi 4-5 times within the past year and all of them have been bland, boring and failures until now. This adapted recipe is so full of creamy shrimpy scampi flavor, I’m actually craving it for breakfast. I did use a heavy cream but since it had so much flavor, I’m planning on using light cream next time. A definite winner and a permanent addition to my recipe catalog!

Makes 4 servings. Recipe adapted from Recipe Zaar.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Lb. Large Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined (I used the pre-cooked)
1 Cup Milk (I used skim)
1/2 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Parmesean Cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2-4 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Plum Tomato Diced
8 Whole Cloves Garlic, Peeled
1 Small Onion Diced
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup White Cooking Wine
1/2 Large Lemon Juiced
4 Large Leaves Fresh Basil
1/2 Lb. Angel Hair Pasta Cooked Al Dente (4 minutes cook time)

DIRECTIONS:
Soak the shrimp in milk for 15 minutes. Combine flour, cheese, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl. Coat the shrimp with the dry ingredients making sure they are well coated.

In a large saucepan over medium high heat, add garlic and enough olive oil to cover the bottom (2-4 Tbs). Fry the shrimp in the oil, about 2 minutes per side until golden brown. The Flour that falls off the shrimp will add great flavor and consistency to the sauce. Add more oil as necessary, between batches of shrimp. Remove cooked shrimp and set aside.

In the garlic and oil pan, add wine, onion and lemon juice and bring to a boil.  Turn heat to low, cover and let wine reduce by 1/2, about 10-15 minutes.

Add cream to the pan and bring back to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 10 more minutes. Add the fried shrimp, Basil, diced tomato, and 2 Tbs. of Parmesan cheese within the last 3 minutes of cooking.

COOK ANGEL HAIR PASTA in a separate pot.

To plate, pour scampi sauce on a dish and arrange 6-8 shrimp on top. Add a ball of the pasta and plate next to the shrimp.

Yum…this dish was quite tasty. I love when I can make Chinese food at home. I feel more in control of what I’m eating!

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Love and Olive Oil.

INGREDIENTS:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)
1 lb flank steak
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 large green onions

DIRECTIONS:
Make the sauce by heating 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the heat.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4″ thick bite-size slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.

Heat up one cup of oil in a wok or large skillet until it’s nice and hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and saute for two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges. You don’t need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.

Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it. Add the onion and saute for one minute. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate, leaving the excess sauce behind in the pan.

Never eat a burger without fries again! Baked, not fried, this recipe for Parmesan Steak Fries is so easy to make. Nothing against fried food. I love it as much as the next person but if I can cut out the dripping fat content without sacrificing taste, count me in!

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Great Food Fast.

INGREDIENTS:
3 large egg whites (video below on separating an egg white from an egg yolk)
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
3 baking potatoes (8 - 10 ounces each)
1 ¼ cups grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk the egg whites with 1 teaspoon salt until frothy. Cut each potato into 6 long spears; add to the egg whites, and turn to coat.

One at a time, lift the spears out of the egg whites, shaking off the excess; working over a plate sprinkle with Parmesan cheese until coated (do not shake off excess). Place on a baking sheet. I coat mine with a light layer of cooking spray.

Bake, without turning, until the potatoes are fork-tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with ketchup or bbq sauce or my favorite a combo of the two!

TIPS + TRICKS
Separating an Egg White