It’s the end of summer and it’s beginning to feel like fall. Cooking should fit into this transitional time. This means that food should still highlight summer produce but begin to taste more substantial. A meal should reflect a little more depth.
Within this context, consider this menu for four. Boned and skinned chicken breasts are pounded into a flat, uniformly thick 1/4-inch paillard that, once brushed with egg white and coated with seasoned crumbs, becomes tender and succulent when pan-browned. These chicken cutlets are topped with a robust tomato salad with red onions and arugula.
Depending on the weather and your preference, the dish can be served warm or at room temperature. The orzo pilaf with chives and Parmesan cheese is satisfying and nicely complementary to the cutlets. These two dishes make a perfect meal; no need for an additional vegetable or salad.
Dessert should be as straightforward as the dinner. Almond spice cookies work well with any selection of fruit. Melons are still spectacular; scooping the flesh out with a melon-baller takes little time and is always a treat. Squeeze a little lime juice over and the dessert is a success.
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This salad is more than a salsa on the chicken cutlets. It makes a great early fall meal.
ROBUST TOMATO SALAD WITH RED ONION AND ARUGULA ON CHICKEN CUTLETS
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Salad:
2 large tomatoes, cored, each cut into 12 wedges, wedges cut in half, about 4 cups
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Scant 1/2 teaspoon each: salt, sugar
Freshly ground pepper
16 young arugula leaves, stems trimmed, crisped
Chicken cutlets:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of all visible fat
2 large egg whites, well frothed with a fork
1 cup finely textured fresh bread crumbs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1. For salad, put tomatoes, onions, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, sugar and pepper in mixing bowl. Toss until well-mixed. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. Keep arugula chilled, wrapped in paper towels.
2. For chicken, put each breast between plastic wrap. Use meat pounder to gently flatten each breast, starting at center, until uniformly 1/4-inch thick. Place in freezer until firm but not frozen.
3. Put egg whites in shallow pie plate. Put bread crumbs, salt, ground red pepper and black pepper to taste in another pie plate. Mix crumbs well.
4. Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush both sides of chicken with egg whites. Dip into crumb mixture, coating both sides. When oil is hot, add chicken in single uncrowded layer, turning once, until brown on both sides and just cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not overcook. If desired, 2 skillets can be going at once. Cutlets can be served warm or at room temperature. To serve warm, keep breasts warm in a 200-degree oven until remaining breasts are cooked. Use 1/2 teaspoon oil to cook each breast.
5. Toss tomatoes with arugula. Adjust seasoning and vinegar (mixture should taste slightly vinegary). Place cutlets on serving plates. Divide salad and dressing evenly over each. Once assembled, serve immediately.
Nutritional information (per main course serving): 386 calories, 31 g carbohydrates, 34 g protein, 14 g fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 760 mg sodium.
Nutritional analysis by Jodie Shield
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Here, orzo–a rice-shaped pasta–is the basis of the pilaf rather than the typical component, rice. The pilaf is nutty-tasting, due to the fact that the orzo is browned before it’s cooked in the broth.
ORZO PILAF WITH CHIVES AND PARMESAN CHEESE
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced, about 1/3 cup
1 1/2 cups orzo
2 1/4 to 2 2/3 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup finely snipped chives
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, preferably imported
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add onion. Cook until wilted but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add orzo and remaining oil. Stir to mix well. Cook, stirring often, until at least half of orzo is well-browned, about 6 minutes.
2. Add 2 1/4 cups broth. Heat to a boil. Simmer, covered, until orzo is tender, about 10 to 12 minutes, adding more broth if mixture is too dry. Fold in chives and cheese. Add seasoning. Can be made several hours ahead and held at room temperature. Serve at room temperature or warm. To reheat, warm gently on stovetop over medium heat, stirring often, until heated through, about 3 minutes, adding more broth if dry. Orzo also can be reheated in microwave oven for 4 minutes on high (100 percent power) until warm, stirring midway.
Nutritional information (per main course serving): 342 calories, 63 g carbohydrates, 10 g protein, 5 g fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 500 mg sodium.
Nutritional analysis by Jodie Shield
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These cookies are the perfect accompaniment to fresh fruit and berries.
ALMOND SPICE COOKIES
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 11 to 12 minutes
Yield: 18 cookies
1 cup cake flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Scant 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon each: grated orange rind (colored part only), ground allspice
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons ground almonds
Glaze:
1 large egg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1. Put rack in center of oven; heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet. Set aside.
2. Combine flour and salt on sheet of waxed paper. Set aside.
3. Beat sugar, butter, orange rind and allspice in large bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and combine well. On low speed, add flour mixture and almonds. Mix well.
4. Use 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie, spacing them 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. With your fingers, gently flatten dough into 2-inch rounds.
5. For glaze, use a fork to froth egg and salt in small bowl. Lightly brush glaze over cookies.
6. Bake until cookies are lightly browned around edges, about 11 to 12 minutes. Let them rest 5 minutes on cookie sheet. Use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Store at room temperature in airtight tin for up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month, wrapped airtight .
Nutritional information (per cookie): 99 calories, 10 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 6 g fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 35 mg sodium.
Nutritional analysis by Jodie Shield
