Flavors in Love

This is an easy but elegant meal- simple enough for a weeknight dinner, and fun to prepare- you can even get your kids involved. In fact, I am making this tonight!

Chicken Milanese with Arugula Salad

Serves 4

4 handfuls arugula, washed and dried

Half of a red onion, thinly sliced

Dozen cherry tomatoes, halved

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2/3 cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup grated Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese

¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

¾ cup vegetable oil

Juice of 1 lemon

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine in a large bowl, arugula, onion, and cherry tomato. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently. Set aside.

Using 2 separate plates, place the flour in one and the bread crumbs, cheese, and basil combined in the other. In a shallow bowl, combine the eggs.

Place the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, lightly pound the chicken until it is about 1/2-inch thick. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge the chicken in the flour to coat lightly, then dip into the beaten eggs, then coat with the bread crumb mixture.

In a large saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and top with the arugula salad. Squeeze lemon over the whole dish, then drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.

Being able to relax and cook your food outdoors over an open flame is such a treat. Its one of the best things about summer!

Corn and tomatoes are at their peak right now and we are picking tomatoes from our garden every weekend. I chose this menu to highlight both of those ingredients.

I became aware of Lava Lake lamb when I saw a woman in Citarella doing a demo of these lamb chops. I love it when a meal is delicious, eco-conscious, and easy to prepare, so these really caught my attention. I bought these Lava Lake lamb chops because I believe that eating grass-fed, all-natural meat is so much better for you. These lambs have never been given hormones or antibiotics and have never been placed in feed lots.

GRILLED LAMB CHOPS:

8 Grass-fed Lava Lake lamb chops

3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

Combine all of the ingredients above and marinate the lamb chops for at least 30 minutes. Grill them for about three minutes per side, to a perfect medium rare.

They were so juicy and flavorful….lots of mmms and ahhhhs at my table.

Along with the lamb, I served grilled sweet corn with a chipotle aioli and a tomato salad with watercress, basil, fresh mozzarella, and a balsamic vinaigrette. At this time of year I eat as much corn as possible..its just so sweet. And the adobo sauce from the chipotles is smoky and spicy…it marries perfectly with the crunchy sweetness of the corn.

When I’m out in the Hamptons, I buy my corn from my favorite vegetable stand, Pike Farms.

SWEET CORN WITH CHIPOTLE AIOLI:

8 ears of corn

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 minced garlic cloves

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon Mexican spice mix

Peel the husk down on the corn and remove the silk underneath, but leave the husks attached. Soak the corn in water for 10 minutes.

Combine in a bowl the mayonnaise, adobo sauce, lime juice, garlic cloves, smoked paprika, and Mexican spice mix.

Grill the corn about 7 minutes, then roll over onto the other side and grill 7 minutes more.

Remove the husk and slather with the chipotle aioli….then listen to the sounds of lip smacking enjoyment…Serve with plenty of napkins!!

Cooking with family and friends in the summer is high on my list of favorite activities, along with long walks on the beach and relaxing pool-side.

At our house, everyone gets an assignment…from cutting and chopping to setting the table and picking flowers. And of course, as an added bonus, I give out entertaining and cooking tips and tricks to anyone who wants them.

Some of my most memorable times are listening to music as I cook with friends, and drinking wine or summer mojitos with fresh mint from the garden. This is the time when guests who are staying at our house get to know each other, share jokes, and recipes….there is just nothing that connects people like getting them in the kitchen together.

When all the food is ready and everyone sits down to a beautiful, delicious meal, there is this special feeling that I have…I did this. I created this magic. I get instant gratification from the ooohs and ahhhs…and my guests feel wonderful too because they all participated.

There is no substitute for cooking at home. It’s a free therapy session….for the stomach and the soul.

This weekend, we created three fantastic meals…Two lunches and a dinner on the last night where we used all the left-overs and made an outstanding frittata.

Sally, my son Zach’s fabulous girlfriend, came up with the first lunch theme…Mexican! Grilled chicken and shrimp with Mexican spices and guacamole, warm tortillas, and a bean, corn, and tomato salad….lots of cilantro, jalapenos, lime juice, and ripe avocados….and summer margaritas too!!

We marinated the shrimp and the chicken in smoked paprika, lime juice, garlic, and a barbeque rub from Steve Raichlen.

We combined black beans with summer corn fresh off the cob, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, and lime juice…a perfect accompaniment to tortillas and guacamole.

The following day’s lunch had a Mediterranean theme…I made my fava bean spread from my cookbook with grilled bread, and my friend Sharon helped me out by shelling the beans.

Then we made a gorgeous summer salad with cucumbers, avocado, tomatoes, green beans, olives, and feta, and served it with a tangy vinaigrette. We grilled shrimp and scallops, marinated in garlic, lemon, olive oil, and oregano, and kept it nice and light.

Dessert was a perfectly refreshing watermelon with lime juice and fresh mint.

Perfect summer days.

I’m always so delighted when people entertain in their homes, and I especially love theme parties. A Moroccan-themed dinner party I attended last week for my friend Nurit’s birthday was a testament to true sisterhood. Two of Nurit’s dear friends created a dinner in her honor and you could see and taste the love!

Our two lovely hostesses...Chantal and Marla

The tables were decorated beautifully and the food was fantastic…lamb and couscous, bisteeya, a fun and flavorful mezze plate, and chocolate mousse with strawberries for dessert.

Moroccan Mezze Plate...smoky eggplant dip, sweet and sour carrot salad, roasted beet salad, and green salad with feta

All lined up and ready for dinner...

Chicken Bisteeya- A Classic Moroccan Dish

There were so many different tastes and flavors, plus a beautiful table decorated with stunning china in shades of red and gold, jewelry as napkin rings, and flowers which came straight from the Westchester garden of one of our hostesses.

Such a gorgeous table!

My place setting

One of our Hostesses, Chantal, with flowers from her garden

The Holidays were filled with so much wonderful food and I indulged every night… a little too much.  So now I’m ready to start a new exercise routine after all that wining and dining and I’m making sure to cook up some lighter foods.  One of my favorite salads is pears, pistachios and Roquefort…a perfect combination!

Pears are so in season now… juicy and ripe and they combine perfectly with cheese, but especially with Roquefort…the strong smelly kind. The saltiness of the cheese and smooth sweetness of the pear send a riot of flavors throughout my mouth and then when you add the crunchiness of the pistachios and the bitterness of the frisee and chicory lettuces combined with a marvelous sherry vinaigrette…it’s all heavenly.  And so so easy. Serve this winter salad as a first course. Your guests will love it.

FRISEE, ROQUEFORT AND PEAR SALAD WITH PISTACHIOS
(Serves 4-6)

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil

6 ounces frisee

6 ounces red-leaf lettuce

6 ounces chicory

Freshly-ground black pepper

½ cup (about 4 ½ ounces) shelled pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped

¼ pound Roquefort cheese, preferably imported, crumbled

1 large ripe but firm pear, such as Bartlett, cored, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and salt. Gradually whisk in the oil; the dressing will thicken.

In a large bowl, toss together the frisee, red-leaf lettuce, chicory and the dressing. Season generously with pepper.

Divide the salad among serving plates. Scatter the nuts, cheese, and pear chunks over the salads and serve immediately.