Anchovy Butter...Yes, That's Right. Don't Tell Your Friends.

/

I don't care what that darned groundhog said, Spring is in the air. At least, more colorful veggies are starting to show themselves at my farmer's market.

The almighty radish is beginning to be featured at my house. I recall a few years ago, at my sister's house in NY in the summer, that she served a simple appetizer. It consisted of sliced radishes with butter and salt on the side. The crisp astringent radish against the soft, sweet and salty butter was a revelation.

Not sure why, but I've waited these years to try and recreate this, with my own twist, of course. I decided that instead of putting the salt on the side, I'd incorporate it into the butter spread.

Anchovies were the first thing that came to mind. Unless I'm dealing with a vegan or vegetarian guest, I oftentimes sneak some anchovy paste into my cooking. It's salty and earthy and adds another level of taste that I can't seem to get using anything else. There are way too many people I know who are incredibly squeemish about anchovies. I can't figure out if it's their little fishy bodies, the smell of them, or just the strong taste when they are eaten alone. Either way, I tend not to tell my friends (or daughter) when I'm using them, unless I'm sure I'm dealing with a 'chovy lover.

Radishes, carrots, toast points and other crudites make a great vehicle for this butter spread. But, I'm thinking ahead to next week's dinner, and know that I will save some to use on a steak. It'll make it just that much better.

I encourage you to make this butter, portion it out for serving and use it on as many things as possible. Get creative and remember, don't tell your friends there are anchovies in it, or they may not eat it!

Anchovy Butter

Ingredients:

  • 4 Anchovy Filets, drained of their oil
  • 1 stick Butter, softened slightly
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 juice of a Lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon Capers, drained

Method:

  • Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.
  • Pulse until the mixture becomes creamy and the anchovy filets have been chopped up so small you can't even see them.
  • Serve with raw vegetables, over steak or simply on toasted baguette.
  • Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the anchovy butter should keep for up to a month.

Chicken Picatta

/

Have you ever had a dish that just makes you smile? This dish does that for me. Gran Fran made this for me and Joe a few weeks back and it reminded me of weeknight meals from my childhood.

My parents were (and still are ) the King and Queen of the multi-task. Both Gran Fran and Joe worked at the same office. They took shifts getting the younger kids (mostly me) to school. Gran Fran would head into the City early (around 7am, I think) and Joe would go in after he dropped me at school (around 8:30am). The afternoon shift would mostly fall to my older brother and sisters, and we did live in a town where we could just go out and play, ride bikes or walk down to the store without too much trouble.

Gran Fran would arrive home around 5pm, in time to get dinner on the table. She did, however, instruct us post-school over the phone on how to prep the dinner and get anything in the oven that we could handle before she got there. This was before cell phones and e-mail, so Gran Fran called us at about 3:30 to get us started.

The only issue was that she was convinced everyone around her could hear everything she said. She spoke at barely above a whisper, which sometimes led us to some odd conclusions on ingredient measurements and cooking temperatures. The best part about her behavior was that for a good number of years, she was in an office with her door closed whilst having these illicit conversations with her children.

Gran Fran and Joe managed to raise another generation of multi-tasking adults in my brother, myself and my sisters. It is both a blessing and a curse. A Claro can get done in half a day what it takes a normal person a full day and half to do. I often get comments when I arrive at work (around 8am) after I've recounted the amount I've accomplished between the hours of 5:45 and 8am. It seems normal to me to finish two loads of laundry, put away the dishes, make breakfast and lunch for myself and my daughter, get the dinner ingredients organized, shower and get out the door. I guess it's a bit much.

The chicken picatta featured above makes for a nice easy weeknight meal. Not much fuss, lots of flavor and not too many dishes after cooking. It's the perfect end to an otherwise crazy day.

Chicken Picatta

serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs. thinly sliced chicken breast
  •  1/4 cup all purpose flour (I use Rice Flour)
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper tp taste
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 12 ounces mushrooms, cleaned, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic quartered
  • 1 1/2 cups marsala
  • 3 tablespoons Italian parsley, minced

Method:

1. Salt and pepper chicken cutlets; dredge in flour.

2. Pour oil intoheated skillet 3. Saute cutlets on both sides until golden and just about cooked through.

4. Remove cutlets from pan; add mushrooms and saute until golden.

5. Add garlic and marsala; reduce slightly over high heat.

6. Return chicken to pan,stir; cover simmer until the marsala forms a nice gravy.

7. Serve sprinkled with parsley