Chicken Piccata with Picholine Olives

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Today, I’m sharing an update to a a recipe that’s been on the blog for quite a while (since 2014!). This updated version still calls for olives, which is not a typical Piccata ingredient, but if you ask me, olives are rarely a bad idea.

When I think of chicken piccata, I don’t think of anything too bold or fancy. It evokes mental images of chain-style Italian restaurants. But that’s not quite right, because fresh home-style chicken piccata is bright. It’s surprising what a single lemon can do, and how briny capers awaken any dish. Bring an old classic back to the table—why not? Classics are classics for a reason, and this one is ready in under 30 minutes.

Chicken Piccata with Picholine Olives

Published April 21, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 pound chicken cutlets or chicken tenderloins

Salt

Black pepper

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lemon, plus additional slices for garnish

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons capers

1/2 cup pitted picholine olives or castelvetrano olives

1/4 cup minced parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Sprinkle chicken, on both sides, with salt and pepper.
2. Put flour on a plate. Coat each piece of chicken in the flour, shaking off excess.
3. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. When oil is glistening, place chicken in pan. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes, undisturbed. Chicken should be white around the edges and golden on the cooked side. Add garlic to pan. Flip chicken to second side, and cook for 3 more minutes or until golden.
4. Using a spatula or tongs, transfer chicken to a clean plate. Pour broth into pan, and reduce heat to medium-low. Squeeze lemon juice into pan. Using spatula, scrape the bottom of the pan, scraping up the brown bits for added flavor.
5. Add chicken back to pan, and coat in sauce. Add capers and olives.
6. Serve chicken on plates, and sprinkle with parsley.

Lemon Ginger Pound Cake

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Even a chocoholic like me can appreciate something bright and citrusy, especially when spring is in it’s early days. We can likely all agree that this spring is unique, in that we’re all spending a lot more time at home. And I, like so many others, am making sure to bake up a storm while staying home. This cake—great with a dollop of whipped cream, and a few fresh strawberries—is a sweet treat with a cup of afternoon tea, and a welcome indulgence.

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Lemon Ginger Pound Cake

Published March 31, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 10   |    Active Time: 75 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the cake:

Butter and flour for the pan

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

3/4 cup melted unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt, at room temperature

½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 large lemon (about 3 tablespoons juice, plus zest)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the glaze (optional):

1 cup powdered sugar

Juice from 1 lemon

Directions:

1. Place the oven rack in the center of the oven, and heat it to 350°F. Butter an 8 1/2-inch loaf pan (I used this one -affiliate link!), dust with flour and tap out the excess.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and sea salt. Whisk to combine.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand-held mixer and a large mixing bowl,) cream together butter and sugar. Add in eggs, sour cream, ginger, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat until fully incorporated.Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go to ensure everything is mixed.
4. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet, incorporating until a loose batter forms and very few lumps remain. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
5. Using a spatula, transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes (if the cake looks as if it’s getting too dark too quickly, tent it loosely with foil) or until a toothpick, inserted into the center of the cake, comes out clean.
6. Transfer to a cooling rack, and let rest for 5 minutes. Carefully run a knife between the sides of the cake and the pan. Turn bred pan sideways. Cake should be loose in the pan. Take cake out of pan, and place on cooling rack for 1 hour.
7. Once cake is cooled, make glaze. Combine lemon juice and powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Place cake on parchment paper or plate to catch drippings, and drizzle glaze over top of cake. Allow to set for 10-15 more minutes. Then, slice and serve.
8. Serving: Cake is good on it’s own, but also great with whipped cream and fresh berries.

Root Slaw with Lemon Vinaigrette

It is rare to find an exciting vegetable in the grocery store in the middle of February. It’s all orange-green tomatoes, rock-hard avocados, and kale. This month, however, I was planning a crunchy root salad already when I came across pink daikon radishes. I paused for a minute, knowing that likely, not everyone that reads this blog will be able to find pink daikon radishes. But I bought them anyways, because their brink color was irresistible. Yes: you can use any sort of radish instead. Regular white daikons. Watermelon radish would be pretty. Easter egg radishes. Red cherry radishes. They will all work, and taste just about the same. I just fell in love with how bright and fresh the pink looked, and how it added little pops of pink to this salad. 

Radishes, like many root vegetables, are a good fall back this time of year when little else is fresh or ripe. And while it’s easy to think of root vegetables as potatoes and yams, this salad proves that root veggies can also make a refreshing, bright, and light salad, too. Serve as a side with pulled pork, brisket, chili, or even a panini. 

Root Slaw with Lemon Vinaigrette

Published February 6, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

1/3 cup radish, peeled and julienned (pink daikon radish, daikon radish, watermelon radish, or red radishes)

1/3 cup cucumber, julienned

1 large or 2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned

1 golden beet, peeled and julienned

2 tablespoons minced parsley 

Black pepper to taste

For vinaigrette:

Juice from 1 Meyer lemon 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

1/2 teaspoon honey 

1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard 

Generous pinch of salt 

Directions:

1. Combine all julienned vegetables and parsley in a medium-sized salad bowl.
2. In a jar, combine all ingredients for vinaigrette. Place lid on jar and shake to emulsify.
3. Drizzle vinaigrette over vegetables to taste (you may not need all of the vinaigrette) and toss to coat. Season to taste with pepper.