Well, in keeping with our food theme, I’d like to talk about…well, food. Meals, actually. You know, those pesky things that keep you away from writing–What? The kids have to eat EVERY night?
It’s sad, but true. Like Leigh mentioned yesterday, there are countless distractions out there. Each and every one of them are lurking in the shadows just waiting to pounce…er, distract. Sorry, got carried away there. But, you get the drift. We have enough to accomplish as parents and authors and workers.
So here is the first Tasty Tuesday. I like to cook and to bake and to eat…Do I have time to prepare a gourmet meal each and every night? That would be a resounding NO! And I’m willing to bet neither do you. In deference to that fact, I’m here to share some recipes that are simple and quick to prepare, while making you look like a culinary genius (at least that’s what I like to think they do for me ). This way you can spend less time in the kitchen feeding the vult…er, family and more time writing.
This week is Chicken in a Garlic White Wine Sauce. (Original recipe courtesy of moi.)
2-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Cutlets
2-3 Tbls Olive Oil
1 Small Onion diced (A mini food processer–only about $15 from a department store works great)
1-2 Tbls Minced Garlic (or to taste…I’m a huge garlic fan as is my family, thank God!)
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Pinch, or to taste, Black Pepper
Dash of ground ginger if desired. Can substitute–and I kid you not–cinnamon, but be very careful with this as cinnamon is a strong spice and can overpower the meal.
1-1 1/2 cups of cold water (reserve about a 1/4 cup to mix with corn starch)
1-2 cubes chicken bouillon
1-1 1/2 cups White Cooking Wine
1-2 Tbls Corn Starch
Baby Portabella Mushrooms if desired
In large frying pan, saute onion, minced garlic, crushed red pepper, black pepper & ginger or cinnamon in the olive oil. When the onions start to turn clear, add the chicken cutlets and cook through (if desired, you can add the baby portabella mushrooms at this stage).
When the chicken is no longer pink, add all but a 1/4 cup of the cold water and the chicken bouillon and bring to a full boil. Add the white wine and bring back up to a boil. (While waiting for the 2nd boil, mix the corn starch with your reserved cold water. Make sure it is cold in order to avoid lumps)
Add the cornstarch mixture to your boiling wine sauce and stir continuously until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and serve. It goes very well with steamed rice. I use a Texmati Brown/Red rice with Barley steamed with chicken bouillon in my rice steamer.
*Don’t be intimidated by the length of this recipe. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and then about 15 - 20 minutes to cook depending on the thickness of your chicken. That’s why I like to use cutlets. They’re thinner.
Enjoy!
Sandra Barkevich 