a taste of tuscany and more

​The days are growing shorter, the nights cooler and we begin to change how we eat.  This is reflected in the meals I am now preparing.
 
My son-in-law likes to surf the web and send me interesting recipes. One of those was Creamy Tuscan Chicken, by Lena Abraham, a recipe he found on the website Delish. This dish is a great transition to slightly heartier meals, yet takes advantage of summer tomatoes. For the recipe you’ll need extra-virgin olive oil, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, dried oregano, butter, fresh garlic, cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, heavy cream, freshly grated Parmesan and lemon wedges.

The chicken is simply dressed with salt, pepper and oregano and sautéed until almost cooked through. At this point, the chicken is removed so the sauce can be made. In the same skillet, butter, garlic and cherry tomatoes are cooked until the tomatoes burst. I found this a bit contrary as the recipe calls for the tomatoes to be halved. They will not necessarily burst, but release their juices and begin to soften. Fresh spinach is added to the pan and cooks until it begins to wilt. Lastly, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese are added and slightly reduced. The chicken is added back in to finish cooking. A simple recipe that takes just 45 minutes to prepare.
 
This flavorful dish was delicious! I served it over a bed of rice to absorb the silky sauce. Instead of dried oregano, I used fresh from my garden, which seemed to brighten the taste. The tomatoes added some acidity to the dish, but the cream and Parmesan softened the flavors. A lovely meal that makes for a great quick night supper.
 
Another recipe I was waiting to try was Spicy Shrimp and Chickpea Salad. This recipe appeared in the "Here to Help" column of The New York Times; its by Yasmin Fahr. As it was a bit warm yesterday, I thought this would make for a nice light supper. My husband is a fan of chickpeas and is always up for any new recipe I make.
 
For the recipe you’ll need both a lemon and lime, Dijon mustard, olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, chickpeas, small red onion, Fresno chile or jalapeño, fresh parsley, fresh garlic, red-pepper flakes and shrimp that is peeled and deveined.
 
This is another great weeknight meal as it takes just 15 minutes to prepare. A dressing of lemon zest and juice, lime juice, mustard, salt and pepper make up the salad dressing that covers the chickpeas, red onion and chile.
 
The shrimp are cooked in a skillet that had olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes sautéed until fragrant. Once the shrimp are pink and golden in spots, off the heat fresh lime juice is added and combined with the shrimp scrapping up any fond on the bottom of the pan. The shrimp is served atop the salad. What a delicious meal! The flavors complimented each other. There was some spiciness from the jalapeño and red pepper flakes, tartness from the lemon/lime juice and lovely freshness from the parsley. Overall, a very appetizing meal.

Creamy Tuscan Chicken
By Lena Abraham from the website www.delish.com
Updated June 17, 2022
 
Calories/Serving: 380
Yield: 4 Servings
Prep: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
 
INGREDIENTS
 
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 tbsp. butter

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3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
3 c. baby spinach
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
Lemon wedges, for serving
 
DIRECTIONS

1. In a skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add chicken and season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook until golden and no longer pink, 8 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and set aside. 
2. In the same skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are beginning to burst then add spinach and cook until spinach is beginning to wilt. 
3. Stir in heavy cream and parmesan and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to skillet and cook until heated through, 5 to 7 minutes. 
4. Serve with lemon wedges. 

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Spicy Shrimp and Chickpea Salad
Yasmin Fahr, The New York Times|“Here to Help” column
  
Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
 
1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
1 lime, zested and halved
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided 3 tablespoons and 2 tablespoons
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ small red onion, diced (about ¼ cup)
1 Fresono chile or jalapeño, cut into thin coins or seeded and diced
1 packed cup parsley leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
2 large garlic cloves, grated or mined
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
 

1. In a large serving bowl, combine the lemon zest and juice, lime zest and mustard. Whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas, onion, chile and most of the parsley (reserving some for garnish), and toss to coat with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
2. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, pulling the pan from the heat briefly if it seems like the garlic is burning.
3. Add the shrimp to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat with garlic and oil. Cook until the shrimp are pink and flipping the shrimp halfway through, about 4 to 6 minutes total. Turn off the heat, then squeeze the lime juice over the shrimp in the pan, stirring to combine and scraping up anything on the bottom of the pan to coat the shrimp.
4. Serve the shrimp on top of the salad. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve. 

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