Chicken Piccata ~ A Brainy Gourmet Favorite!

Chicken Picata ~

..one last garden dinner as summer ends!

You will need to buy boneless skinless chicken breast strips, a jar of capers, one lemon, angel hair pasta, one onion, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Saute one whole chopped onion in a blend of 3 tbs of coconut oil and olive oil, adding to that 2 tbs of butter. Prior to that, freshen your chicken breast strips in a rinse of squeezed lemon juice. Now, add the strips to the onion, having pushed the onion to one side of the skillet. Brown the strips on med. heat (adding an extra drizzle of olive oil) and then bring back in the onion.

Next, add 3/4 to 1 cup of heavy cream, dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano and half a jar of capers, cover and simmer for 8 min.  Near the end of those eight minutes, slice half a fresh 'washed' lemon, cutting in half the slices and then laying them on top of the chicken to cook covered on low heat for about 4 minutes.

In this time, prepare the pasta by cooking in salted boiling water until tender. Drain and ladle the pasta onto a low lipped serving plate and then top with the rich creamy chicken and sauce; grate Parmesan cheese on top and serve.

Now, that is beyond yummy....

~ Tutti a Tavola!

The Brainy Gourmet's Tikka Masala with Pork!

Glasgow's finest... say what?

Tikka Masala often thought of as a strictly Indian dish originated in Glasgow. There are some who say it likely began in the British Bangladesh community and yet another version claims it came from a Pakistani chef living and cooking in the west end of Glasgow which brings us back to Scotland, full circle, right?

Whatever the original location: the U.K. the Middle East or far Middle East does not matter as much as the delicious taste and easy preparation for any brainy home chef.

This dish is like most simple dishes prepared by the Brainy Gourmet. It can feed a lot of people on very little. The secret is in the sauce. On a past blog, I made it using chicken and tonight using pork loin. The preparation is the same as it was using chicken.

Saute onion and green pepper in coconut oil until browned; then, push aside adding some olive oil to the same skillet and sear about 8 tender boneless pork medallions. Bring back the onion and green pepper, cover for 6 min on med. heat and then add 1 small can of tomato paste, 1/2 cup of yogurt, 1/4 cup of heavy cream, one tsp of either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar along with garlic, spices and fresh dried herbs.

Cover and simmer for 10-15 min on low heat stirring occasionally. In that time, prepare a side of rice. Once tender, drain and ladle onto a low lipped serving plate, place a dollop of butter in the middle. Then pour out the sauce and pork 'Tikka Masala'.

~Tutti a Tavola!

ps. unique flavor and color come from turmeric and a hint of coriander

Mediterranean this Weekend ~ Dinner at Home!

Brainy Gourmet ~ Mediterranean Selections for this Weekend!


Mediterranean Chicken

Ravioli with Blackened Asparagus
Spaghetti and Herb Infused Meatballs
Fried Cheese with Yogurt
Risotto and Greek Fish

*Check Brainy Archives for meal ingredients and preparation

Hawaiian Meatballs with Garden Green Pepper!

Dinner in Hawaii...tonight???

So simple and yet so island exotic. Hawaii brings thoughts of beaches and coconuts. Exactly, why this dish is called 'Hawaiian' meatballs. You will need: Apricot/Ginger Teriyaki, ground beef (or turkey), grated organic coconut, bread crumbs, one large garden fresh green pepper and one whole onion. Also, you should have on hand heavy cream and dried herbs; all of this is to be mixed into the ground meat and shaped into meatballs. As a side, best for this dish is brown rice. Prepare immediately, before making and cooking the meatballs.

To begin, make the meatballs mixing 1 pound of ground meat, about 1/2 cup of grated coconut and 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs along with 1/4 cup of heavy cream and fresh dried herbs. Fry in a large skillet in olive oil and coconut oil on high heat.  Once browned, turn down the heat and add 3/4 of beef stock. Let the meatballs simmer on med. heat for 6-8 min covered.

Next, add 1/4 cup of Apricot/Ginger Teriyaki sauce, this is a thick glaze which will caramelize as it bubbles up around the meatballs... cooking uncovered on high/med heat for no more than 4 min. Remove this mixture (meatballs too) from the skillet and set aside. In the same skillet (not wiping it out) saute the green pepper and onion. Let them sizzle away as you check on the side of brown rice.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

stroll the beach after dinner... even if you can only imagine it...

What Can You Do With Lavender?

Did you know that not only does lavender smell good it tastes good as a flavor enhancer. Here are some delicious treats: Lavender rub, lavender butter, lavender sugar and lavender syrup. You can also dry lavender for tea infusion as well as infusion for homemade soap and not to mention small pillow sachets for your undergarment drawer.

Lavender Rub: Mix 1 tbs of either fresh or dried lavender buds with 1 tsp of salt and pepper, along with 1/2 tsp of thyme and basil and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. This is a super tasty rub for grilling meats or roasting.

Lavender Butter: Mash together a stick of softened butter with a quarter sized handful of minced fresh or dried lavender buds. Smear the butter on warm biscuits or scones or toasted bread.

Lavender Sugar:  Pour sugar in a pint or quart glass jar. Toss in fresh or dried lavender buds; cover and shake. Let sit on the counter a few weeks shaking occasionally. Sprinkle over fresh fruit or use in your favorite shortbread cookie recipe.

Lavender Syrup: Heat 2 ups of sugar and water, stirring to dissolve. Add a small handful of fresh or dried lavender buds. Pour into a bowl; cover. Let stand 2 to 24 hrs. stain off lavender. Chill up to 2 wks. Swirl syrup in either hot or iced tea.

A few buds in a glass of champagne is lovely on a late summer evening...



*Check out additional uses of Lavender at ~ http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265922.php
and... http://everything-lavender.com/lavender-leaves.html

* above source of info coming from: Better Homes and Garden May 2016

Brainy Gourmet Chicken Pad Thai with Linguine

Anyone up for an evening at the Pad Thai Outdoor Cafe...

Being authentic is not always possible or affordable. Being brainy is always about frugality as much as it is about taste. This Thai dish made the brainy way is simple and really good. Pad Thai was made popular in Thailand during World War II. Pad Thai has since become one of Thailand's national dishes. Today, some food vendors add pork-chops to enhance the taste. The most important item is of course stir fried rice noodles.  In its original form, Pad Thai is made with soaked dried rice noodles, which are stir-fried with eggs and chopped firm tofu, and flavored with tamarind pulp, fish sauce along with dried shrimp, garlic or shallots, red chili pepper and palm sugar, and served with lime wedges and often chopped roast peanuts.


Sounds pretty intensive. But, you can make a simple detour and it will be brainy. To begin, using either chicken or pork, cut meat into strips. Set aside and in a large skillet saute on med heat in olive oil one whole onion and one large green pepper cut into long slivers. Brown until the edges begin to blacken. Push aside the onion and green pepper and lay in the chicken. Turn up the heat so that the meat sears. As long as you pushed the onion and green pepper to the farther side of the skillet, they will be out of the way to sear the meat.Sprinkle in a dash of salt, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and dried herbs.

At this time, add 3-4 tbs of organic peanut butter and stir until the chicken and veggies are coated. Next, add 1/2 cup heavy cream, cover and let simmer on low heat for as long as it takes to prepare the rice noodles or in this case- linguine pasta. Either will work and as they become tender, drain and quickly fry in another skillet with a bit of sesame oil.  For an additional side, saute cubed eggplant in olive oil. Once it is cooked, nearly translucent, spoon in 3 tbs of apricot ginger glaze and return to heat to let it caramelize.

Pour out the noodles onto a low lipped serving dish and top with the incredible peanut sauce with chicken.
Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and dig in.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Quick Veal Parm with Mashed Potatoes or Polenta

Veal is as expensive a meat as you might think. It is usually sold ground and often in the form of cutlets. It is very tender. It cooks quickly and has wonderful flavor.

Veal is the meat of calves; most veal comes from young males of dairy breeds because these are surplus to the industry's requirements. Veal has been an important ingredient in Italian and French cuisine from ancient times.

I totally understand that such meat may present a dietary problem for some people and in that case one can substitute using soy patties.

Believe me when you are cooking veal parmesan... Oh, the anticipation when the family knows that's what's for dinner. Begin by preparing a liquid coating of egg and milk whisked together in a bowl. Take a plate and cover with dried bread crumbs, adding dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano and some basil. The procedure is thus: bath the cutlets in the liquid coating and then gently pressed into the bread crumbs (both sides).

Before you start to cook the cutlets, prepare either a side of boiled potatoes to be mashed or polenta (see brainy archives for polenta recipe). Take a skillet and drizzle in olive oil and a dollop of fresh creamy butter. Once it starts to melt and bubble, lay in the cutlets, adding a bit more olive oil as needed to keep them from burning. On med heat, brown both sides and then cover for 6-8 min. on low heat. Uncover and add fresh homemade tomato juice which I happened to make just the other day about 1/2 cup. Cover again for 4 min. and then uncover to lay over the top large slices of mozzarella cheese. Cover again to melt the cheese.

Get ready to serve! Placing the cutlets on a serving plate and leave the potatoes (hand mashed) or polenta in the pot -homestyle!

 *extra side- butter pan fried yellow squash...

~ Tutti a Tavola! ...Feast as if you are abroad!