What we have here is fresh chicken breast over curried cauliflower and blanched green beans with a dollop of homemade mango chutney on top. I was in the market the other day and the fresh beans were almost electric green in color. I couldn’t resist them. The same day, Rosaria came home with a beautiful head of cauliflower. She’s always been fond of Indian cuisine and likes dabbling in it, especially lately, after becoming inspired by a delicious meal that our family enjoyed in Manhattan’s east side Bhatti Indian Grill (http://www.bhattinyc.com) So I said ‘let’s have curried cauliflower with …’ with, with, what? I had a fresh organic whole chicken in the refrigerator, so I simply deboned it, sauteéd the breasts, made the curried cauliflower, blanched the green beans and … voilá! We had the above pictured dinner for two. Here’s what we did:
2 boneless chicken breast or 1 whole chicken to debone for the breasts
1/2 head of cauliflower
2 cups fresh green beans, tips cut off
4 chopped shallots, divided
2-3 Tbsp Madras curry
1 egg, beaten in a deep plate
1/4 cup Wondra or flour, in a plate
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp mango chutney
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp canola oil
Cut up the half cauliflower head into smaller pieces, taking care not to break the individual florets, and place in a covered steamer for 3 to 5 minutes. The goal is to slightly cook the pieces but not so much as to loose their crunchiness. Don’t hesitate to try the cauliflower as it steams. When done, immediately run the cauliflower under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
Meanwhile, fill a medium sauce pan with salted water, bring to a boil and drop in the beans. Turn the heat down to simmer and blanch the beans for a minute ot two. Remove the beans and throw them into a bowl of cold water with ice cubes. This will stop the beans from cooking and preserve their green color.
Break the cauliflower into individual florets and pat them dry with paper towels. Take a large sauté pan, get it hot and film it with the canola oil. Add half of the chopped shallots and the cauliflower, moving the florets around with a wooden spatula to coat them with the oil. Add the curry and the red pepper flakes, and keep mixing gently. Take 1/2 cup of chicken stock (or water if you don’t have stock) and add it to the pan; cover and turn the heat down to low. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender but still has some crunch. Taste for salt.
Place the dish with the beaten egg next to the one with the Wondra or flour. Debone the chicken (if you have a whole chicken) or use two store bought boneless chicken breasts, coat them in the egg and then dredge them in the Wondra or flour. In another sauté pan, heat up 3 Tbsp of olive oil. When hot, but not smoking, add the chicken breasts and sauté them until they’re golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. You want them moist and succulent, but definitely not pink when you cut into one.
Drain the string beans from the ice water bath, dry them and warm them up in a small sauté pan using a coating of olive oil. Remove the chicken breasts from the sauté pan and place in a warming oven. Add the wine, 1/2 cup of chicken stock and the remaining shallots to the sauté pan with the chicken drippings. Reduce the wine stock mixture down to 1/4 cup, remove from heat, and strain it into a small sauce pan to clear it of any debrís. Return the liquid to the stove and, over low heat, beat in 2 Tbsp of butter and simmer. Take the chicken breasts out of the warming oven, put them on your cutting board and slice them perpendicular to the grain.
Put two dinner plates in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm. Place some of the green beans in the center of the plates, add a layer of cauliflower on top, then a sliced chicken breast and a dollop of mango chutney on top of the chicken. Spoon some of the reduced sauce over the chicken breast and sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and chopped parsley. Bon appetit!
1 comment
I enjoyed looking over your blog!