Chicken Braciole
I poured Sadaf pomegranate syrup over the already-cubed butternut squash from Trader Joes or Costco , sprinkled it with salt, pepper and olive oil, and roasted it until crispy. That's a keeper.Then I decided to try a version of the Italian rolled meat dish braciole that would be, let's face it, nothing like the Italian rolled meat dish braciole. Instead of beef I used chicken breasts. Instead of pecorino and prosciutto I used roasted kale, capers and olives. I still bathed it in a rich tomato sauce, and the smells still filled the house. It all turned out very well– lighter, kosher, but full of the flavors of a traditional fall kitchen. A new ritual, perhaps…
Ingredients
- 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale, chopped
- 10 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 can crushed Italian tomatoes
- 1 cup deep red wine
- 1 cup extra version olive oil
- 4 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped pitted Greek olives
- 1/2 cup capers
- fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Have the butcher flatten breasts into schnitzels, or do it yourself with a mallet.
- Heat 1/2 c. olive oil in a large skillet. Add 1 chopped onion and 5 cloves chopped garlic and saute until golden. Add kale, salt and pepper cover and cook until soft. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.
- Place a large piece of kitchen parchment or wax paper on your counter. Lay out chicken on the parchment into one overlapping rectangular “sheet.” Pile filling along the long end in a thin even line. Using the paper to help, roll the braciole up tightly. Remove paper and tie with kitchen twine. Set aside.
- Make sauce: Heat remaining olive oil in pan, add and saute remaining onion and garlic, add bay leaves, salt, pepper, wine, olives, capers and tomato and bring to simmer. Cook until reduced and rich, about 20-30 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat 2 T olive oil in a large skillet. Add braciole and quickly but gently brown on all sides. Add sauce Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and poach until cooked through, about 20-30 minutes.
- Remove from heat, spinkle with parsley. Serve by slicing crosswise, topping with sauce.
Notes
Time is too precious. A life is a moment in season. A life is one snowfall. A life is one autumn day. A life is the delicate, rapid edge of a closing door’s shadow.
-Allan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams
So fall comes and I move indoors and cook in pots and pans, lots of them. I roast, and braise. The house fills with kitchen smells- sizzling garlic, browning onions, pie spice and bread crust– and I get hungry earlier.
I've been reading a lot about ritual lately. The positive psychology movement can prove that ritual is a building block to happiness. Repetitive acts, followed religiously, raise your spirits.
