Broccoli, Chicken, and Almond Sauté

One of the things I love about cooking is how some ingredients, tossed together on a whim, can turn out unexpectedly well. Like two people meeting for the first time, instantly recognizing they will be friends forever (has that ever happened to you?) Dear broccoli, meet toasted almond, and her friends grilled chicken, sesame oil, and red chili flakes. You are all going to get along swimmingly.

This was one of those what-can-we-put-together-for-dinner-with-what-we-have-on-hand meals that was a surprising success. We almost always have broccoli in the fridge, because it keeps well, and I could eat it practically every day without tiring of it. Toasted almonds are another well-loved pantry item—great for snacking, and good for you too. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are usually not my favorite (give me bone-in, skin-on thighs any day), but they are wonderfully convenient when you want a quick meal. No fuss.
The big "ah hah" with this dish? Broccoli and toasted almonds are meant for each other. With a little sesame oil and chili flakes, you don't even need the chicken, so feel free to skip it if you want to go meatless with this one. But, it's great with the chicken too.

Broccoli, Chicken, and Almond Sauté Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes

The amounts are estimates, adjust to your taste.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb to 3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt
• Olive oil
• Your favorite spice rub for grilling (optional)
• 1 lb broccoli florets
• 1/4 teaspoon chile flakes (more to taste)
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Put a 2 quart pot of salted water (about 1 Tbsp of salt) on to boil. While the water is heating, start the chicken cooking in the next step.
2 Place the chicken breasts in a bowl and sprinkle seasoning on all sides. Use at a minimum some salt. Or if you have a favorite spice rub, you can use that too. Heat a grill pan, or prepare a grill, for high, direct heat. (If you don't have a grill pan or grill, use a cast iron skillet, and only season the chicken with salt.) Rub some olive oil all over the chicken breasts. Grill the breasts for a few minutes on each side to get some nice char marks, then lower the temperature to low and leave on the grill until the breasts are just almost cooked through. They'll cook a little longer in the sauté pan, so they can still be a little pink in the middle at this point. Remove from pan or grill, set aside for a minute, then thinly slice.
3 Once the chicken has cooked and the water is boiling, add the broccoli florets to the salted boiling water. Allow the water to come back to a boil, and once boiling again, let cook for about 1 minute. Drain.
4 Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan on high heat. Add the red chili flakes. Once the red chili flakes are sizzling, add the broccoli florets, sliced grilled chicken, and toasted almonds. Drizzle dark sesame oil over the broccoli and chicken, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Toss and cook until all of the chicken pieces are no longer at all pink in the center, a minute or two.
Serve immediately.
Yield: Serves 4.

Asparagus Salad with Shrimp

Even though the weather has been rather dreary and cold the last week or so, spring is officially here, which means it's time for asparagus. This is a quick and easy salad, made with fresh asparagus spears that have been blanched for a few minutes, thinly sliced on the diagonal, and tossed with shrimp in an olive oil, garlic, parsley, lemon juice dressing. So good!

Asparagus Salad with Shrimp Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes

We like using little salad shrimp for this recipe because they are sustainably caught in North America, but you could use any shrimp.

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus, woody stem ends removed
• 1/2 pound pink salad shrimp, cooked, shelled
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced (1/2 teaspoon to 1 1/2 teaspoons, depending on how much you like fresh garlic)
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice (more to taste)
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1 Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus to a bowl to cool. Add the shrimp to the pot of boiling water. If they are pre-cooked, remove after 30 seconds—this is just to warm them. If the shrimp are uncooked, boil them for 2-3 minutes, until cooked through. Remove the shrimp and add them to a large bowl.
2 Slice the asparagus spears thinly on the diagonal until you get close to the tip. Cut the asparagus tips off in one piece. (They look prettier that way.) Put the asparagus in the bowl with the shrimp. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Add more lemon juice if desired, to taste.
Yield: Serves 4.

Mussels in White Wine Sauce

My friend Guy (that's pronounced "Gee" with a hard "g") grew up in Southern France, in Provence, near the sea. And like so many people from Provence, Guy has a passion for all things seafood, especially mussels, or as the French call them, "moules". Mussels steamed in white wine and served in a sauce made from the cooking liquid with butter and shallots is a classic French preparation of mussels, moules mariniere. This is Guy's method for moules mariniere, the way he grew up making it in France, and one of the easiest and loveliest ways of preparing mussels. It is wonderful for an appetizer or a light lunch, and excellent with a glass of white wine and some crusty bread.

Mussels in White Wine Sauce Recipe

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 15 minutes

When purchasing mussels be sure they smell like the ocean, not fishy. Don't buy any whose shells are cracked or open or any that refuse to close their shells when you handle or tap them, those are likely dying or dead. Try to cook the mussels immediately (unwrap them as soon as you get home), but if you have to wait place them in a bowl and cover them with a damp towel so they can breathe.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed clean under running water
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons flour (optional, omit for gluten-free version)
• 1/4 cup minced parsley

Method

1 Put the mussels in a bowl of salted water (1 Tbsp salt per quart of water) for 10-15 minutes. Throw out any that are wide open or refuse to close when you handle them as these ones are likely dead. Looking over the closed mussels, see if any still have their beards (long hairy byssal threads which help anchor the mussel to surfaces) and pull them out, pulling slowly and strongly towards the hinge of the shell.

2 Put 1/2 cup of dry white wine in the bottom of a large pot (at least 4-quart). Add the mussels to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. As the mussels cook, they will release their highly flavored water into the pot. Cook until shells have opened, and the mussels are just cooked, looking steamed and soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Take care not to overcook, or the mussels will be rubbery and hard. Once the mussels are cooked, carefully remove them from the pot to a bowl, one-by-one using tongs, including those that have broken loose from their shells. Do not discard the water in the pot!
3 Let the water in the pot settle for a minute. Any grit will settle to the bottom. Gently pour out the cooking water into a measuring cup, leaving the grit in the pot to discard of later. If the water you've measured out is still a little gritty, filter out the grit using a sieve.


4 Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the shallots and cook a couple minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. If you want your sauce to be a little thick, add a teaspoon or two of flour to the pan, stir to combine. (Otherwise skip the flour.) Slowly add about a cup of the filtered mussel cooking water to the saucepan, stirring to create a smooth sauce. Add the minced parsley to the sauce.
5 Place mussels in serving bowls. Pour some sauce over each bowl of mussels.
Serve immediately. Serve with crusty bread for dipping in the sauce.
Yield: Serves 2 as a meal, 4 as an appetizer or side dish.