Saturday, May 29, 2010

I haven't Forgotten My Blog!

Honestly, I've got so much going on right now I haven't had time to experiment in the kitchen. Sad, I know. We're moving to Germany in two weeks (June 13th) and there is still so much to do! We've spent the entire week tearing apart and rebuilding the deck. What a job! Now it's time to box everything up and get it packed into crates.

I did have the opportunity to make this recipe the other day and it was really delicious! I want to find a way to thicken the brown butter sauce so it stays on the noodle. But it's an incredible flavor none-the-less!

Spaghetti with Chicken & Broccoli with a Brown Butter Sauce


Mizithra cheese is a yummy, hard Greek cheese but if you cannot find it, Freshly Shredded Romano is a great substitute! That's what I used!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup Mizithra cheese
pasta of choice (I used spaghetti)
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
3 C Fresh Broccoli


Directions:

Dice chicken into small pieces and cook in a large skillet with some olive oil, salt and pepper until just done. Do not over-cook. Set aside. Meanwhile, cook the pasta and steam the broccoli. Combine the pasta, chicken and broccoli in a large pot and keep covered and warm.

Browned Butter Procedure: Cut 2 sticks of butter into 8 pieces and place in a 2-quart sauce pan. Place the pan of butter on a burner on medium heat. Bring butter to a slow boil (about 5 minutes). (This wasn't enough for 4-6 portions of the meal so I added 1 more stick and continued with the directions)

Once the butter begins to boil, stir constantly to prevent residue from sticking to the bottom of the pan. As the butter cooks, it will start to foam and rise. Continue stirring, otherwise the butter foam could overflow (about 5 minutes) and catch fire.

Once the butter stops foaming and rising, cook until amber in color (about 1 to 2 minutes). It will have a pleasant caramel aroma.

Turn off the heat and remove pan from burner. Let the sediment settle to the bottom of the pan for a few minutes.

Pour the brown butter through a strainer into a small bowl. Do not disturb the residue at the bottom of the pan. (When cooking this, the foam came back and I gently poured the butter into a separate container. The butter drizzled out from under the foam and over the residue on the bottom)

The brown butter can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in a microwave as needed.


Pour the butter over the pasta mixture and toss gently with the shredded cheese. Using a spaghetti server, fill plates or bowls with desired amount of the meal. If there's extra sauce in the pan, drizzle evenly over the individual dishes. Serve immediately!

5 comments:

  1. This really sounds delicious and you are heroic to post so soon before a move. I'm new to your blog so I took some time to read your earlier entries. I love your recipes and the welcoming tone of your blog. I'll be back often. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

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  2. Mary, so glad you have joined us! Yes, life is a bit hectic right now! I thought it might slow down once I got here to Germany but we still have lots to do until we find a home. I do hope you'll share some of your own recipes...I'll add them to the thread they correspond with. Have a great week!

    Shannon

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  3. Camelia and Vincent,
    Thanks for your interest in my blog! I have added you to my links and would love for you to become a follower of this blog! Please feel free to add yourself to my list. I would love to see it grow! I have also applied to put my blog on your site as well. Kind regards!

    Shannon

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  4. This sounds really delicious.Maybe adding a little cornstarch can help thicken the sauce.I always use it when I need some gravy.if you wont mind I'd love to guide Foodista readers to this post.Just add the foodista widget to the end of this post and it's all set, Thanks!

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  5. Alisa, Cornstarch would work...I thought of that after I posted this. I can't wait to make that sauce again! I went to Foodista and tried to create an account but it wouldn't work. Whenever I filled in all the blanks and clicked "Save Profile" it brought me right back to that same page and it isn't saved. Frustrated! It said I needed to create an account to use the widget. I will try again and again. ugh!

    So Glad You Stopped By!

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