What if we’re all snowbound on Valentine’s Day and can’t make reservations? When you can get out to the grocery story to stock up on essentials, consider getting ingredients for this special supper. I’ve written the recipes for more than two people, because the leftovers, if there are any, are also delicious. Add roasted asparagus to the plate, and buy two small heart-shaped chocolate cupcakes for dessert.
Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms, Leeks and Cream
Serves 4
Woodsy mushrooms are beautifully showcased in this dressed-up chicken dish, which combines them with leeks, cream and some good white wine. Dried wild mushrooms – my market sells packages of mixed mushrooms such as porcini, cremini and morels – are an excellent substitute for fresh. Use a handful, and reconstitute by steeping in boiling water for about 40 minutes.
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons butter
5 slender leeks, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only)
8 ounces (about 3 cups) fresh wild mushrooms, such as shiitake, trimmed and halved, if large (or use dried mushrooms)
1 cup good fruity white wine, such as riesling
1 cup heavy cream
Juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Season chicken generously with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess. Heat butter in a large skillet with a lid. Cook the chicken over medium heat until golden brown on both sides, about 8 minutes. Remove to a plate, leaving drippings in the pan.
Add leeks to the pan, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover, add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to shrink, about 4 minutes. Add wine, raise the heat to high, and boil briskly until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add cream, return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan, and simmer uncovered until the sauce is lightly reduced and thickened and the chicken is completely cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes. Squeeze in the lemon juice and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. (The dish can be made up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently before serving.)
Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Rice Garden With Lemon and Garlic
This vegetable-studded rice pilaf is as pretty as it is scrumptious.
Serves 6 as a side dish
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced slender zucchini
1 cup corn kernels, thawed frozen or fresh
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground coriander seed
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1½ cups raw white rice
3 cups chicken broth
¾ teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest and 2 tablespoons juice
¼ cup chopped scallions
Freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the zucchini and cook over medium heat until it just begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the corn, garlic, coriander and cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the grains are coated with oil, about 3 minutes.
Add the broth, salt and lemon zest and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to very low, cover and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and scallions and fluff the rice with a fork. Season with more salt, if needed, and black pepper to taste.
Brooke Dojny is author or co-author of more than a dozen cookbooks. She lives on the Blue Hill peninsula, and can be contacted via Facebook at:
facebook.com/brookedojny
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