Cherry tomatoes | Imamother

Amarante ↓

Fri, Aug 16 2024, 7:20 pm

One-Pan Feta Pasta With Cherry Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS

* 2 pints cherry tomatoes
* 5 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
* 5 thyme sprigs
* 2 rosemary sprigs
* 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
* ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
* 8 ounces feta
* ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more for serving
* Pinch of red-pepper flakes
* 12 ounces short pasta, such as farfalle, campanelle, rotini or cavatappi
* 3 cups boiling water
* 1 cup torn basil leaves
* Flaky sea salt, for serving

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a shallow 2-quart casserole or gratin dish, or an 11-by-7-inch baking dish, combine tomatoes, garlic, thyme, rosemary and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Toss with 1/4 cup of the olive oil to coat. Place the feta in the middle of the dish, and top with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Sprinkle the black pepper and red-pepper flakes over everything. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the garlic has softened and the tomatoes have burst their skins.

1. Add the pasta to the pan in an even layer and sprinkle with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. Pour the boiling water on top. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, carefully submerge pasta. Cover tightly with foil and bake until pasta is al dente, 17 to 19 minutes. Remove from oven and let the pasta stand, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes to absorb the excess liquid.

1. Stir in basil until everything is well incorporated, and the tomatoes and cheese create a creamy sauce. When serving, top with more black pepper, oil and flaky sea salt.

↑ Amarante ↓

Fri, Aug 16 2024, 7:23 pm

Lemon and Garlic Chicken With Cherry Tomatoes

This is a summery dish you can make any time of year since decent cherry tomatoes are available in the markets all year long. Boneless chicken breasts are marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and rosemary before pounding them. This makes them very flavorful, and a great savory contrast to the sweet tomato topping.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced or puréed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup dry white wine
2 heaped cups cherry tomatoes, about ¾ pound
Pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or a gluten- free flour such as rice flour or corn flour
2 tablespoons grapeseed, sunflower or canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

PREPARATION

Stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Cut each chicken breast into 2 equal pieces (3 if they weigh 12 ounces or more) and place in the bowl. Stir together and refrigerate 15 to 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. (Discard marinade.) Place two sheets of plastic wrap (1 large sheet if you have extra-wide wrap) on your work surface, overlapping slightly, to make 1 wide sheet, and brush lightly with olive oil. Place a piece of chicken in the middle of plastic sheet and brush lightly with oil. Cover the chicken with another wide layer of plastic wrap. Working from the center to the outside, pound chicken breast with the flat side of a meat tenderizer or rolling pin until about ¼ inch thick. (Don’t pound too hard or you’ll tear the meat. If that happens, it won’t be the end of the world, you’ll just have a few pieces to cook.) Repeat with the remaining chicken breast pieces.

Season the pounded chicken breasts with salt and pepper on one side only. Dredge lightly in the flour on all sides (you will not use all of it) and tap the breasts to remove excess.

Turn oven on low. Heat a wide, heavy skillet over high and add oil. When oil is hot, place one or two pieces of chicken in the pan, however many will fit without crowding. Cook for 1½ minutes, until bottom is browned in spots. Turn over and brown other side, about 1½ minutes. (Do not overcook or chicken will be dry.) Transfer to a platter or sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. If there is more than a tablespoon of fat in the pan, pour some off into a jar or bowl.

Turn heat on burner down to medium-high. Add wine to pan and stir with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Add cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring often or tossing in the pan, until they begin to shrivel and burst. Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste and continue to cook, tossing the tomatoes in the pan and stirring often, for 5 to 10 minutes, until tomatoes have collapsed but are still intact. Top chicken breasts with the tomatoes, sprinkle with parsley and with Parmesan if using, and serve.

TIP

Advance preparation: The chicken breasts can be pounded several hours ahead – but don’t marinate them until shortly before cooking – and kept between pieces of plastic in the refrigerator.

↑ Amarante ↓

Sun, Aug 18 2024, 9:40 am

amother Coral wrote:

Amarante, have you made the recipe that you posted? Is it really good, worth the work?
Tx

Yes I made it and it was a very good recipe - especially considering that it was a simple recipe to make with basic ingredients.

Curious as to why you think this recipe is a lot of work

You make a very simple marinade for the chicken.

You pound the chicken which takes about 1 minutes. This tenderizes the chicken and also creates a thin even surface so the chicken cooks quickly and remains juicy. When you pan saute a thick chicken breast can cook unevenly - you can do it of course but generally you either need to braise it for a while o cook thoroughly or finish in the oven for a bit.

This is just essentially cooking a chicken cutlet

The final step is how you always make a pan sauce. The protein (here chicken) is sautéed in the pan and then removed.

You then deglaze the pan to incorporate the fond into the sauce. The "fond" are the yummy bits of caramelized protein (here chicken) which adhere to the bottom of the pan. This has the double benefit of essentially cleaning the pan. This is typically done with wine - then in some recipes you add the aromatics like garlic or onion - here you add the cherry tomatoes and cook them down.

You then pour the pan sauce over the chicken.

This post is probably more complicated than the original recipe. Very Happy

But essentially I am just explaining that this is a chicken cutlet sautéed and then a very simple pan sauce is made in the same pan.

amother

↑ Coral

Sun, Aug 18 2024, 10:10 am

Tysm Amarante for going over the recipe and your vote of confidence.
While I hear that it doesn't seem like a lot of work when you break it down... It is a couple more steps than I would normally do as I don't find myself pan frying so much, rather I mix a couple of spices and oil with chicken breast (cut thinner) and grill it on a grill pan. But your recipe probably tastes awesome, like a gourmet dinner!!

Growing up, I never saw my mother cook dinners like your recipe above which is ironic cuz she went to learn at acooking school in France before she got married... I do have a clear memory of being very young and watching a cooking show that she put on Smile

)

↑ Amarante ↓

Sun, Aug 18 2024, 10:18 am

amother Coral wrote:

)

I think cooking style for many people has to do a lot with the stage in life.

Growing up my mother cooked very simple meals - chicken roasted in the oven with paprika as the spice; meatloaf; hamburgers. She worked and I give her a lot of credit for always having a meal on the table which was "balanced". Sometimes for special occasions she would make something that required more time and effort like a lasagna.

In a later stage when she had more time she began exploring new recipes and my father oddly also took up cooking. He even took some classes.

↑ Amarante ↓

Sun, Aug 18 2024, 12:28 pm

Odelyah wrote:

very true. I also have come to the conclusion that many of us don't like to "patchke" too much but how we define that is very individual. so for me, I have a block about pounding chicken cutlets. I never do it. do you think this recipe will still be delicious if I skip the pounding? It sounds amazing.

I do agree that a patchke is a continuum for people

There are people who love to cook and can't think of a better way to spend time than cooking.

That is not me - I cook because I like to eat and also because I like to feed people food they enjoy. But I cook mostly stuff that doesn't require that much time and I am also inclined to recipes that can be prepped and cooked ahead of time as my energy level (and ambition) declines later in the day. Very Happy

I also like recipes that incorporate everything - ie. one pan/sheet pans as well as braises and stews which can be made in larger quantities because the taste is actually better the next day.

Or if I am doing a stir fry I will prep everything early in the day and then just have to spend a brief amount of time cooking when my energy is lowest.

As to your specific question about pounding. Of course you can make any savory recipe (not baking recipe) to suit and you can modify so long as you have a basic understanding of how ingredients and techniques need to be modified.

You can't not pound out the breast for this recipe because a chicken breast is thick and uneven and wouldn't cook by simply sautéing it. You need to braise it or roast it which is a different technique.

Maybe one day you can try pounding breasts. It is really simple as it is done between two sheets so no muss in terms of cleaning. It only takes a minute and the end result in terms of a chicken cutlet is way better.

↑ Amarante

Mon, Aug 19 2024, 9:29 am

I haven't made this recipe but I think I will - lovely use of corn and tomatoes - sheet pan is a plus for ease of preparation

Oven-Seared Salmon With Corn and Tomatoes

This one-pan dinner pairs browned fish with a colorful salad of charred corn, tomatoes, scallions, herbs and lime, proving that summer cooking is best when you get out of the way of the ingredients. The salmon develops a crisp crust without requiring a sear on the stovetop thanks to a light coating of mayonnaise and the direct scorch of the broiler. You won’t taste the mayonnaise; instead, it’s there to caramelize the salmon’s surface while insulating the delicate flesh. Corn kernels cook alongside just long enough to plump, sweeten and char in spots. The salmon and salad are a meal unto themselves, or you could accompany them with quinoa or garlic bread.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 4 ears)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 (6- to 8-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets, patted dry
1½ tablespoons mayonnaise
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lime
3 scallions, thinly sliced
½ cup basil or cilantro leaves

PREPARATION

Heat the broiler to high and set a rack in the upper third of the oven. On a sheet pan, toss the corn with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Push to one side. Add the salmon to the empty side of the pan, skin-side down. Season the salmon all over with salt and pepper, then coat the tops with a thin layer of mayonnaise. Broil, stirring the corn occasionally, until the salmon is opaque with a browned crust and the corn is bright in color and browned in spots, 6 to 8 minutes.

To the corn, add the tomatoes, scallions and remaining tablespoon oil. Zest the lime on top of the vegetables, then squeeze half the lime on top; cut the remaining half into wedges for serving. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper, then top with the basil leaves. Serve the salad alongside the salmon, with a squeeze of lime as you like. (After cooking, wedge your spatula between the salmon and skin to easily remove the skin.)