September 16 – September 22, 2024

Monday:                  Linguini with Meyer Lemons and Fried Sage, Caesar Salad

Tuesday:                  Citrus {Yuzu) Chicken Piccata with Rice, Salad

Wednesday:          PFC

Thursday:                Dunnings

Friday:                      Tomato and Summer Squash Tart, Salmon

Saturday:                Pizza with Marinara and Anchovies (Sausage for SWMB))

Sunday:                   Chicken Saltimbocca, Caesar Salad

Il Paradiso dei Limoni

If you’ve been to the Amalfi Coast of Italy, you know that the lemons grown there are the size of grapefruits and that the whole area is fairly paradisiacal.  Last week we used the smaller lemons available in American supermarkets to cook two Italian dishes and it got me to thinking about Italian cooking and lemons.  Astonishingly, in the land of limoncello,*cooking with lemons didn’t start until sometime in the eighteenth century, a bit before they started cooking with tomatoes.  This seems to prove that the Italians, far from being tradition-bound, are pretty adaptive in their cooking.  Hand them a good new ingredient and they will use it, probably better than you do.

*I’ll apologize in advance to all lovers of this libation, but to me it tastes like a batch of cough syrup which, due to a failure in quality control, has become too sweet for human consumption.

The relevance of all this to this week’s post is tenuous at best.  But you may have noticed that I like to ease into these posts by wandering about in one or more directions before settling down to business.  Oh, so one final note – It’s not just the Italians who are open to using new ingredients in cooking.  Do those of you old enough to have watched Kennedy and Nixon debate remember your mother making you eat your arugula? Making  a savory Mole sauce? Whipping up a pot of ramen?

But, back to those lemons.  I have loved veal and chicken piccata since the first time I ate one of them (I can’t remember which) at the old Park Schenley Restaurant.  So, when I saw a recipe for chicken piccata in the bon appétit, I knew I wanted to inflict this dish on SWMBO.  The recipe was unusual, in that it called for grapefruit as well as lemon juice* and for finishing the chicken by braising it in this mixture, instead of the traditional sauteing followed by a quick saucing with lemon, capers and olive oil.  SWMBO and Billy loved it, which gave me a warm feeling, enhanced, I must confess, by two martinis (This is Barbara, the editor – it was three martinis).

*I’m using a little common sense and a little artistic license here.  The recipe called for ‘yuzu’ juice. My local markets don’t carry this, but I discovered that you can mimic the taste by mixing Meyer lemon juice and some grapefruit juice.  So that’s what we’re going to do in this week’s recipe.

The popular saying – If life gives you lemons, make lemonade – has always bothered me.  I like lemonade, but why not try the recipe below – I mean how much lemonade can you drink? 

Lemon-Grapefruit Chicken Piccata

(adapted from Yuzu Chicken Piccata, bon appétit, October, 2024)

Timing:                                       35 minutes

Ingredients:                                   Serves 4

4 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or two of the big honkers most markets offer – you’ll have to slice them horizontally)

6 tablespoons or more of yuzu juice – or, use a mixture of Meyer Lemon and Grapefruit juice (bottled grapefruit juice is fine)

¾ cup all-purpose flour

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

5 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, divided

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (we did not use garlic)

½ cup dry white wine

2/3 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces + 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

2 teaspoons soy sauce

3 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Crusty bread for serving

Prep:

Place flour in a shallow bowl.

With a meat hammer or rolling pin, gently pound chicken breasts or pieces between two sheets of plastic wrap – or put the chicken in a large baggie – until they are ¼” thick.

Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper, then dredge in the flour, shake off excess flour and transfer to a plate.

Measure out wine, chicken broth, soy sauce and citrus juice.

Slice scallions.

Cook:

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high.  Working in 2 batches and adding more oil as needed, cook chicken until golden brown underneath – 4 or 5 minutes.  Turn and cook 2 more minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Now reduce heat to medium, add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil – add garlic if using and cook stirring for 30 seconds, then pour in wine and simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits, until almost completely reduced – about 1 ½ minutes.

Now increase heat to medium-high and add the broth and 3 tablespoons of the butter and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.  Cook, stirring frequently, until butter is melted and combined – 2 minutes.  Stir in the soy sauce and 5 tablespoons of the citrus juice.

Return the chicken, browned side up, to the skillet and cook, spooning sauce over, until chicken is cooked through and sauce is slightly reduced – 3-4 minutes.  Season with more salt and juice, if needed.

Now add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cook, swirling the pan until the sauce is glossy.  Remove from the heat and season with more pepper.

Toss scallions with the remaining tablespoon of citrus juice and scatter over the chicken in the skillet.

Serve with bread along side for dipping into the sauce.