Exams dinner part 1: Chicken with asparagus and mushroom sauce - Pollo con asparagi e salsa di funghi

Exams are stressful but what I hate the most is that they can keep good friends away for long periods. What better of a good dinner in order to meet again for awhile and piss about?

4 people:

• 400 grs of chicken (or turkey) breast fillets
• 200 grs Basmati rice
• 300 grs potatoes
• 10 asparagus sticks
• 200 grs of mushrooms (champignon, procini even better)
• 400 mlts of fresh cream
• 1/2n glass of white wine
• 1 onion
• oil, black pepper, rosemary, thyme

Cook the rice and let it cool in a bowl.

Cut the potatoes in small cubes, cook them in a large pan with a spoon of oil and the onion (chopped) till they appear to be well roasted.

Boil the asparagus for a 10 mins. Be careful to keep tops out of the water.

Roast the chicken fillets in a pan with a spoon of oil, thyme and rosemary till it's cooked on each side. Add salt and pepper, then finish cooking in the oven for 10 mins at 200 degrees.

The mushroom sauce: start cooking the mushrooms in a pan with a spoon of oil, when they get dry add the wine, wait till it vaporizes, add salt and pepper, then the cream. Let it cook until it shrinks enough.

Serve:

On a potatoes bed lay 5 asparagus, then the chicken breasts, season with the mushroom sauce. Shape the rice with a little cup

and serve it alongside. 

How was it Cami?

Yummm!

Per 4 persone:

• 300 gr di filetti di pollo
• 200 gr di riso Basmati
• 300 grdi patate
• 10 asparagi
• 200 gr di funghi (champignon sono ok, porcini anche meglio!)
• 400 ml di panna fresca
• 1/2 bicchiere di vino bianco
• 1 cipolla
• olio, pepe, rosmarino, timo

Cuocere il riso e lasciarlo raffreddare in una coppa.

Tagliare le patate a cubetti, cuocerle in padella con un cucchiaio di olio e la cipolla tritata finché non siano ben cotte

Bollire gli asparagi in acqua bollente salata per 10 minuti avendo cura che le punte restino fuori dall'acqua.

Cuocere i filetti di pollo in padella con un cucchiaio di olio, il timo e il rosamrino finché non siano ben arrostiti su ogni lato. Terminare la cottura per 10 min in forno a 200 gradi.

La salsa di funghi: cuocere i funghi in padella con un cucchiaio di olio, quando si saranno asciugati aggiungere il vino bianco, lasciarlo vaporizzare, salare, pepare e aggiungere la panna. Aspettare che si restringa a sufficienza.

Impiattare:

su un letto di patate disporre 5 asparagi e i filetti di pollo. Condire con la salsa di funghi. Mettere il riso in una tazzina, sformare e servire accanto al resto.

Bon Roll Aia agli spinaci con salsa al gorgonzola - Chicken-meat and spinach roll with gorgonzola sauce

Time to leave Milan for Xmas holidays, time to empty out the fridge of all the remnants!

Ingredients (that's simply what I had in the fridge):

• 1 chicken meat (but any meat is good -c'mon! it's minced!) and spinach roll (about 750 grs)
• 1 big onion
• 4 small potatoes
• 6 little tomatoes
• 100 grs of Gorgonzola cheese
• 125 grs of mozzarella cheese
• 200 decilitres (1 cup) of milk or cream
• a glass of red wine
• oil, rosemary, salt, pepper, curry, flour if needed

Put some oil and 1/2 glass of wine in a large pan with cover and cook the onion (cut into slices) and the meat roll on low flame for about 45 mins/1 hour. Take care to turn the meat roll from time time so that it's well cooked all around. After 10 mins add the potatoes cut into pieces and a stick of rosemary. Wait other 30 mins and add the tomaetos cut into pieces the same size about as the potatoes. When the cooking is almost finished add the mozzarella cut into small cubes till it melts down, add the wine left and let it vaporize on high flame.

While the meat is cooking prepare the sauce. In a small pot heat the milk or cream and when it's nearly boiling low down the flame and add the Gorgonzola in pieces. Let it melt, add salt, pepper and curry, mix and let it thicken. If you're using the milk you will probably need to add some flour.

Cut the meat roll into big slices, put them in a plate along with the tomato-potato sidedish and cover with some sauce.

Perfect. Now: fridge empty, time to fill in the suitcase and go!

Azerbaijan Fusion Part 2

Asli (finally!) moved to her new apartment and invited a few friends for lunch. I'm not pretty sure the menu was really azeri but since I find it somehow exotic I'll pretend as if it was.

Asli's chicken and porcini soup

I'm not used at all to eat soups, so my first thought was going at McDonald's on the way home, but this soup made me change my mind.

 

For 4 people:

• 400 grs of chicken breast
• 2 potatoes
• 200 grs of dried porcini mushrooms (champignons are good as well)
• 5/6 baby carrots
• 200 grs of cauliflower
• 4 leaves of bay leaf
• herbs (wild fennel overall), rosemary, cumin, salt and pepper

Cut the chicken breast into cubes and then cook it in water, taking off the scum. When ready (30 mins), add cut vegetables and herbs and spices. Salt at the end.
Very simple, very tasty.

Asli's Stuffed Chicken with Apples and Prunes

For 4 people:

• 1 Whole chicken
• 2 big Granny Smith apples
• 4/5 prunes
• Dijon mustard
• honey
• herbs
• 300 grs of baby carrots and Brussels sprouts
• chicken/vegetable broth

Coat chicken's inside with honey and stuff it with cut fruits.
Mix mustard with herbs and coat the chicken from outside.
Cook for ~ 2 hrs in the oven at 200 C while watering from time to time with the broth. Boil the carrots and Brussels sprouts and use them as a side dish.
Really inviting, yumm.

The friendly neighbour's pie

For 4 people:

• flour
• butter
• eggs
• rice
• sugar
• love
• a friendly neighbour

Invite your friendly neighbour for lunch and ask him to prepare a pie with a somewhat ricy stuffing. Serve it along with your vast collection of Russian teas.
Very simple, very successful.

*The oddities corner: GAGA on the pie was a dedication to the singer (argh...) but apparently in Azeri it means "sweet" or "pie" as well.
Thanks Asli and enjoy your new house!

Azerbaijan Fusion

Back home from Rotterdam at dinnertime had in the fridge only some chicken breast and a little piece of Leerdammer. If you are lucky enough to have hosted home an Azeri friend for a period though, for sure you should get landed with tons of weird stuff. In my case I was plenty of chestnuts, Azeri raisins (nothing special, just HUGE raisins), various kinds of unknown dried fruits and at least 10 different kinds of teas. Thanks Asli.

Alernatives were then to order chinese food or trying to sort out something tasteful from at least the things you know the name of.

The result was great, and without ordering chinese!

Chicken with chestnuts and raisins 

For 2 people:

- 300 gs. of chicken breast
- 80 gs of raisins
- 100 gs of chestnusts
- 50 gs of butter
- 1/2 glass of white wine
- flour, salt, pepper and herbs (sage, persil, rosemary)

Dip the raisins in warm water for 10 mins. and in the meanwhile roast the chestnuts and cut the chicken breast into cubes. Dust the cubes with the flour and start frying it in a large pan with the butter and the sage. While the chicken is cooking, peel the chestnuts and cut it along with the raisins in little pieces. When the chicken appears to be cooked, insert the chestnuts and raisins. Salt, pepper, add persil and rosemary and mix well. Vaporize with the wine and serve it hot with flakes of Leerdammer on it and a cup of blossoming rose tea.