click for larger imageGoldfrapp Chicken - original recipe by Barry L. Kramer 4 days after Head First
If you play Goldfrapp while making this, it will be perfect.
Preparation time: about 20 minutes
Cooking time: about an hour
Fairly easy
about a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10, and that was the first time I did it.
click for larger image
click for larger image (version 2)
3 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1.5 lbs)
5 small spring onions
about 8 oz. half and half
about 8 oz. whole milk
butter and olive oil for cooking chicken
two organic carrots
about 15 fresh basil leaves
some smoked tavern ham lunchmeat or ends, maybe 3 slices, more or less
about 1 tablespoon real bacon (cook and chop it or buy a little bag of it)
some sharp cheese, maybe 5 half-inch cubes or the equivalent grated
1/2 teaspoon Minor's chicken base
1 tablespoon chopped prepared garlic, or equivalent in fresh cloves (crushed)
white wine, a cheap one is fine, but don't use cooking wine (it's too salty).
The one I used is Livingston Chablis Blanc
a little lemon juice (just a wedge or two of a lemon will do)
salt, pepper
a 1 lb. box of linguini
1. I want to give you tonight, so play Goldfrapp!
2. Clean chicken breasts and pound with enthusiasm using meat mallet to tenderize, until thin, about 3/8" thick. Lightly salt and pepper chicken on both sides afterward.
3. Prepare the following that you will need later under time pressure:
* 5 small spring onions (or fewer large ones) into thin slices
* 2 carrots reduced to really thin strips with a vegetable peeler. Don't use the pithy tasteless center.
* Slice the ham into strips about a half inch wide
* Chop up the basil into thin strips (or you can wait until later to prevent browning edges)
* If your cheese isn't grated, grate it or chop it up finely
* Bring the water for the linguine to a boil unless you can time things well (unlike me!).
* In a 2C glass measuring cup, put half and half and milk to total about 1 1/3 C. I used about equal parts or maybe a little more half and half. Anything 1.25 to 1.5 C will work.
4. In large frying pan, medium heat about 1T. olive oil. Add about 1T. butter when heated. Mix. When sizzling subsides somewhat, add chicken and cook until light golden brown about 4-6 minutes per side, turning only once. Don't be afraid to turn the heat up, but don't overcook. Keep an eye on it. Second side cooks faster than the first. Remove when done to a cutting board; cover well in foil to keep warm. It's okay if they don't all get done at exactly the same time.
5. Reduce heat and, keeping them separated in the pan, place ham, half the spring onions (the white part), and the 1T garlic. If there isn't any remaining oil in pan, add a little olive oil onto the onion and garlic. Cook these for a few minutes. Pour about a tablespoon of wine onto the garlic so it doesn't burn. Sizzle these all lightly about 2 to 4 minutes until it smells good and the ham is starting to brown. Stir and jiggle the onions and garlic frequently. Turn ham to brown it nicely. When it nicely browned, remove it.
6. When the onions are soft, add about 1/3 C white wine to the pan and deglaze at a light boil. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of chicken base and dissolve. Put the milk in the microwave for 60 to 80 seconds to get it hot but not boiling. Reduce to about half.
7. Reduce heat to almost nothing and let it cool down for about a minute. Add the hot milk mixture and mix it in quickly and thoroughly. Add the cheese, let it melt and mix that in. Then add half the carrots, a third of the chopped basil, the ham, and about a tablespoon of crumbled bacon and mix.
8. Cut up the chicken into strips, then add them back to the pan and mix well, distributing sauce all over them. The sauce is fairly thin and there is a decent amount of it, so this should be easy. Increase the heat again to get them heating up. Try not to boil it. Now is about the time to get the linguini water back to a boil and get it on.
9. This is also a good time to make sure Goldfrapp isn't interrupted. I played Head First again because it's only been out for four days, but Black Cherry and Supernature are also good to cook to. They keep you moving!
10. Grind more fresh black pepper onto the chicken in the pan, and squeeze some lemon juice evenly on it. Don't use too much -- my best guess is about 2 teaspoons but you can use more or less if you like. Mix again to distribute.
11. Add all the remaining ingredients: the rest of the spring onions, the rest of the carrots, and the rest of the basil. Mix it up frequently as it heats and while the linguini cooks. Taste the sauce if you want to and make adjustments if needed. I was inspired and thought it was straight on the first time.
12. When the linguini is done, drain and wash it with hot water. Put about two-thirds of the linguini (that's all you need) back into the pot it was cooked in, and then pour most of the liquid out of the pan over the linguini. This will let you mix it up easily. After mixing, return linguini and sauce to pan with the chicken and mix everything together. Serve when well-heated. Much of the sauce will get absorbed (mmmm luscious).
13. Think about what my fragments of inspiration for this recipe mean to you:
Feel the weight of it all just drift
Off on a cloud to another time
Ooh-ooh-ooh hello hello
Ooh-ooh-ooh hello hello
I'm feeling alive again
...
I thought you'd gone for good
I hadn't understood
Yeah yeah yeah
Rushing like the sea
You've come back to me
I'm a believer
I'm a believer
I'm a believer
In you now
The maker of a dream
The lead in every scene
...
It's your head it's your heart
Lost somewhere missing parts
Revelations no surprise
Tonight they hunt for you
Tell us nothing tell us lies
Only passion that you have
Tonight they hunt for you.
Are you shiny and warm now? I am.
Detailed picture: Click for larger version
for Logan
(written up immediately on request)
In version 2, I used penne and a different mix of vegetables. This recipe is rather versatile. I mostly played "We Radiate" from the Vampire Diaries soundtrack. Happy birthday to the one who played me Goldfrapp for the first time. xblkx