Chicken (or Veal) with Bacon and White Risotto from the Ticino

One thing that I love about traditional European cooking is it isn't always what we think it should be. For example, when most people think Italian they think pasta and breads. But, when you look at the traditional Italian cookbooks there are very little pasta recipes. Instead you see it as a side dish eaten with veal, chicken, and animal organs. I have a cookbook called Eat Italian Once a Week and it contains many of these non-pasta selections ~ including the author's very opinionated view of the right and only way to cook mashed potatoes. (I love old cookbooks!)

Chicken with Bacon
serves 3-4 people

3 chicken breast halves
3-4 slices of bacon
12-14 leaves of fresh sage
salt and pepper

Cut the chicken breasts in thirds and pound 1/4 inch thin, without tearing them into pieces. Cut the bacon slices in thirds and pound these very thin. Place the bacon on top of the chicken, then place a fresh sage leaf on top, securing the three with a toothpick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Sautee a few at a time in a little butter, keeping the finished ones warm while the other cook. Let the chicken brown a little before turning, 3-4 minutes per side. Serve hot. You can eat it with the sage leaf, as I do (YUM!), or remove it like my husband (still YUM, but not as intense sage flavor).
Notes: This recipe originally calls for veal and it is just as good as the chicken.

White Risotto from the Ticino
serves 3-4 people

Here's another recipe from my favorite Swiss cookbook, but this time it is a side dish, and it complements the Chicken & Bacon beautifully.

1/3 cup butter
1 tablespoon minced onions
1 cup rice
1 cup hot beef or chicken broth
1 cut hot dry wine
salt
pepper
grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Cook the onion in the butter until it is soft. Stir in the rice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the rice is opaque. Add the hot broth, the wine, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover tightly. Simmer over the lowest possible heat for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is tender but firm. Serve with finely grated swiss or parmesan cheese.

Note: One cup of fresh or thawed frozen peas may be added to the rice when it is half way done.

My personal Note: I use short brown rice and have found that it takes 3 times longer to cook with the cooking wine and salt. So I first cook the rice, without wine and salt, until tender. Then I add about 1/2 a cup of cooking wine and cook until sticky. (Don't skip the wine ~ it is what makes it what it is ~ YUMMY!) It takes about an hour and a half to cook but it's not that much work and so worth it!

Here's the finished product with a small salad. So yummy and very easy to make!

Find a Recipe

Looking for something by category? Here is a list that will link directly to the recipe organized by actual categories - hope this helps.

Appetizers
Hummus
Spanish Tortilla
Pan con Tomate (Bread with Tomato)

Soup/Salad
Gazpacho

Main Dish
Spanish Tortilla
Swiss Beef Casserole
Chicken & Bacon
Stegt Kylling (Braised Chicken w/ Parsley)

Side Dish/Vegetable
Gazpacho

Side Dish/Rice & Pasta
White Risotto from the Ticino
Alfredo Sauce

Dessert
Scottish Shortbread

Breakfast
Aebleskivers
Magdalenas

Cookies
Spanish Almond Cookies

Bread
Irish Brown Bread

Gazpacho!!!

Aren't these vegetables gorgeous? With all the focus put on getting your vegetables in each day - it looks like the spaniards were on to this wisdom long ago. This cold soup (vegetable puree) is one of the best things to eat on a hot summer evening. Please excuse the lack of specifics - each vegetable is unique in flavor and size, so you really have to taste this one along the way in order to make it the way you like.

Ingredients:
5-8 Roma Tomatoes
1 Regular cucumber
1 Bell Pepper -red, green, yellow - whatever you prefer
3-6 cloves of garlic - again, according to taste
bread crumbs
water
olive oil (extra virgin please)
vinegar (I use rice - you can use anything you like)
salt
Optional: I threw in some cilantro that was leftover in my fridge - not bad!

Method:
All of the vegetables basically need to be chopped into large chunks. These chunks are thrown into a food processor or blender with a little water and turned into a puree. You want it as smooth as you can get possibly get it to be. Once you have the vegetables blended together (remember, do it according to taste) you will add the breadcrumbs. I usually use about 1/2 cup - some people don't like to have them at all, I personally like the taste and texture when you add the breadcrumbs. Now I add the olive oil and vinegar and a bit of salt, to get the taste and texture just right. I am guessing around 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 Tb. vinegar. Maybe just 1/4 tsp. of salt - again, taste it before you add too much of anything.


Once it is all pureed you will have a thick soup, depending on how much water you add. Some people like it runny, some people don't. The batches above are different, the one on the left has the cilantro, so it's color is not as orange as the traditional version. And just so you know, it is common to throw an ice cube or two into your bowl - just to make it extra cold. And garnishing it with some chopped cucumber and tomoto makes it pretty and adds some variation to the texture. If you haven't ever tried a gazpacho, you really should - you can get a whole day's worth of vegetables in one sitting - it's a wonderful soup.

Swiss Beef Casserole

This recipe comes from my favorite cookbook called the Swiss Cookbook by Nika Hazelton. Here is the original recipe~

Beef Casserole
1 1/2 to 2 lbs chuck, round or
pot-roast meat
salt
pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium carrot, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 cup dry red wine
hot water or hot consommé

Trim the meat of all fat and cut into 2 to 3 inch pieces the thickness of 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Brown the meat over high heat for 2 minutes on each side. Remove the meat to a casserole and sprinkle it with the flour. Pour off the fat from the skillet. Heat the butter in the skillet in which the meat was browned. Cook the onion, carrot and parsley until the onion is soft. Add enough hot water or consommé to barely cover the meat. Cook, covered, in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 1 hour. Place the meat on a hot platter and keep hot. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve or puree in a blender. If it is too think, reduce to the consistency of heavy cream. Put the meat back in the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes to heat through. Serve from the casserole with plain boiled rice or mashed potatoes.

My notes~
Consommé is similar to broth and I used homemade chicken broth when I made it. Plus, I didn't use the butter asked for, because I left some of the fat on the meat and then sauteed the vegetables in it, after removing the meat from the pan. I also was in a hurry, so since I didn't puree the sauce it was a little runny, but it was still yummy! I also liked the texture of the vegetable pieces, but I bet pureed would still be wonderful!

The best part ~ My husband and kids loved it! And it wasn't hard to make. I hope you enjoy it as much as us!