Green Bean Amandine

 

• 1 pound fresh green beans
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds (toasted, if desired)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• Trim the beans, cutting off a small part of each end. Look over the beans, discarding beans that are wrinkled, limp, or have soft spots. Rinse the beans well and pat dry.
• In a heavy saucepan, place the green beans in cold water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the beans are crisp-tender. Drain well and set the beans aside.
• Melt the butter and olive oil in the same saucepan and add the garlic and almonds. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the almonds begin to brown.
• Add the beans along with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper and toss gently to coat.
• Serve immediately and enjoy.
  

Chicken Marsala

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• 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded ¼-inch thick (see note), or chicken tenderloins
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 
• 1 (8-oz) package pre-sliced cremini or button mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots, from 1 medium shallot 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2/3 cup chicken broth 
• 2/3 cup dry Marsala wine  (I used Sperone Marsala Fine I.P. - far right corner, south end liquor store)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream (I used whipping cream)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, for serving (optional)
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1. Place the flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a ziplock bag. Add the chicken to the bag; seal bag tightly and shake to coat chicken evenly. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (Use a cast iron or  stainless steel pan for the best browning.) Place the flour-dusted chicken in the pan, shaking off any excess first, and cook, turning once, until the chicken is golden and just barely cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
3. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt; cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the broth, Marsala, heavy cream, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper; use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the pan into the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by about half, slightly thickened, and darkened in color, 10 to 15 minutes (you’re going for a thin cream sauce; it won’t start to thicken until the very end of the cooking time). Add the chicken back to the pan, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce thickens a bit more, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve.
4. Note: If your chicken breasts are large (about 3/4 lb. each), it’s best to first cut them horizontally to form four flat fillets, then pound them to an even 1/4-inch thickness. If you pound large chicken breasts without first halving them, they’ll be huge. Of course, you could also pound them thin first and then cut them in half vertically; the only drawback is that they’ll lose their natural shape (which, admittedly, is not a big deal!).

Serve on angel hair pasta, spaghetti, egg noodles etc and with a green veggie - asparagus works for me :-)

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Pork Medallions in Marsala Sauce

 2 lb pork tenderloin

salt and pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp butter

2 medium shallots or red onions finely chopped

12 oz cremini mushrooms sliced

1 tbsp flour

1/2 cup dry Marsala wine (I use Sperone Marsala Fine I.P. - far back right hand side, south side liquor store)

1 cup chicken broth

3 tbsp heavy cream (whipping cream is what I used)

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Cut tenderloins into medallions about 1 1/2 inches thick.  Press down with your palm to flatten a bit, season with salt and pepper.

 Heat 3 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter in fry pan over med high to high heat-you want a really hot pan but  not so hot that it will scorch.  When butter is melted and foaming add meat and sear til browned, 2-3 minutes, flip and brown again for about 2 min - til well browned.  Put on a plate.

Using the same fry pan, melt the 2 tbsp butter, add shallots  and a pinch of salt, stirring for about 30 seconds and using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add mushrooms and cook until all of the mushroom liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are golden, about 3 min.  Sprinkle with the flour and add the Marsala.  Allow the Marsala to boil until almost completely evaporated.

Add chicken broth and cook until the mixture is reduced by half, about 4 min.  Stir in cream and parsley.  Return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pan, cook flipping the pork once 2-4min.

Serve with potatoes (boiled small ones look nice) and a green veggie - beans or asparagus are my choices.