Spring is in the air!

Hey guys! So here it is the last of the three blogs in one day! This meal was cooked last Monday night and for this one I actually had to double the recipe due to cooking for 7! On the menu was Spring Chicken Roll-Ups with lemon Dijon Pan Sauce, Blackened Squash, and Spinach with Bacon! Now the only Rachael recipe in this meal are the chicken roll-ups. But the veggies along side go great with them!!

The chicken roll-ups are an interesting dish. It's kind of a light twist on Chicken Cordon Bleu. The first thing to do is to butterfly the chicken breasts making two cutlets out of each breast, and then pound them out. I used a skillet to do this. I would recommend getting a meat mallet, if you are like me and don't have one, and using that. The skillet works but for me I didn't get the cutlets thin enough so the roll-ups wouldn't stay closed. So, I'll be investing in a meat mallet ;)  But I digress. Once you have the cutlets pounded out, you need to blanch the asparagus. Trim the ends off first. Rachael Tip: Take an asparagus spear and hold it at each end. Bend it until it breaks. Line up the other asparagus spears next to the one you broke the end off of and trim the rest of the spears to the same length. This way you have them all the same length and you won't trim them too short! Once they are trimmed you will wanna put a pot of water on to boil. When the water boils, salt the water and drop the asparagus and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Remove it and you are ready to assemble the roll-ups! Season the cutlets with salt and pepper. Then lay on a piece of provolone cheese and prosciutto ham. Take 3 asparagus spears and lay them at the end of the cutlet and roll it up. Once you have them rolled place them in the hot skillet seam-side down and season the outside of the cutlets with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil and cook for 4 - 5 minutes and then flip and cook for 4 - 5 minutes more! Once you have them all cooked remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. In the skillet you cooked the roll-ups in, add the butter and melt. Once you have it melted, add the flour and combine it and let it cook for a minute. Then add the chicken stock and Dijon mustard and scrape up the drippings from the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce thicken and then remove from heat and add in the lemon zest and juice and parsley and pour over the chicken! I actually add a drizzle of honey to the sauce as well. The first time I made the dish the lemon was a little heavy for me so this time i added the honey to help balance it out. If you don't think you'll like the honey, by all means leave it out!

Now these side dishes are incredibly simple but taste really great! The squash is actually something I learned from my Aunt Lori! Take your squash and slice it fairly thin but not too thin. Heat some EVOO over medium-high heat. Once it's hot drop the squash and season with salt and pepper. I put a lid on it to help draw out the liquids sooner. All you have to do is keep turning the squash as it shrinks down and softens up. You will let the squash till all the liquids have evaporated out of the pan and the squash has browned up at the edges. The slight charred flavor you get compliments the squash perfectly!! Couldn't be any easier!

The squash you've seem me do before. Take 4 - 5 pieces of bacon and chop it up. Add it to a skillet with EVOO over medium-high heat and let it crisp up a few minutes. Wilt in your spinach and season with pepper and nutmeg. Last time I made this I mistakenly added salt and it was too salty with the salt of the bacon there as well. This time, it actually did need a little salt so be sure you taste it before serving and adjust your seasonings. 

This one was a simple one and it was fantastic. This was the first time i've actually doubled a recipe but it came out great. A quick tip. When you are buying your squash or spinach, buy twice as much as you think you need because both are gong to wilt down a good bit. Hope you guys enjoy this one. If you get a chance give it a shot, you'll love it! Just a heads up, it might be a couple weeks before i blog again. With all the gas i'm spending driving to work all the time, it's straining my finances so it might be a few weeks before i cook but rest assured, i'll be back! Enjoy and until next time, Happy Cooking!!

"Spring Chicken Roll-Ups with Lemon Dijon Pan Sauce"

2 (6oz.) Pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 Thin slices provolone cheese
4 Thin slices prosciutto cotto
12 Thin spears asparagus, trimmed of touch stems and blanched in salted water 2 minutes, drained
1 Tbs. EVOO
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 C. chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
½ Lemon, zested and juiced
¼ C. chopped, flat-leaf parsley, a handful
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Halve the chicken breasts horizontally separating each into 2 cutlets

Place each halved cutlet in an individual freezer plastic storage bag (with slider tab). Add a tablespoon of water to each bag and pound into ⅛-inch thick cutlets

Arrange the 4 cutlets on work surface. Season cutlets with salt and pepper on the side facing up. Cover each piece of chicken with 1 slice cheese and 1 slice ham. Starting on 1 side of the breast, place a small bundle of 3 asparagus spears. Wrap and roll the chicken around the asparagus. Wash hands.

Heat about 1 tablespoon EVOO, a turn of the pan, in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, using tongs, add the chicken roll-ups to skillet with seam side down. Season the roll ups with salt and pepper. Cover the pan loosely with tin foil and cook 4 - 5 minutes, turn roll-ups over and cook another 4 - 5 minutes. Remove cooked roll ups to a serving plate. Add 2 tablespoons flour stir in the chicken stock and Dijon mustard, scraping up any drippings from the bottom of the pan, and simmer 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the lemon zest, lemon juice and parsley and spoon over chicken.

"Blackened Squash"

2 Lbs. squash, sliced

2 Tbs. EVOO

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the EVOO in a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil ripples and wafts smoke, add the squash and season with salt and pepper. Put a lid on the pot to get the liquids out of the squash. Cook the squash, turning every so often until all the liquids evaporate out of the pan and the squash is browned at the edges. Serve as a side dish.

"Sauteed Spinach with Bacon"

1 - 2 Bags triple washed spinach

4 - 5 Slices thick cut bacon, chopped

Freshly grated nutmeg

Salt (if needed) and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Chop the bacon and add into pan to crisp 4 - 5 minutes. Once the bacon is crisped up, start wilting in spinach. Once the spinach is wilted down season with salt (if needed), pepper and nutmeg. 1 teaspoon would be about one turn of the pan freshly grating it. Toss with the spinach and transfer to a serving dish.