Sunday, February 23, 2020

Blind Dates and Capers by Laura Ashwood


I know it's a little past Valentine's Day, but I didn't want to miss the fun of sharing how my husband and I met. I was working at a law office in Minneapolis at the time and one of my coworkers insisted that I meet a friend of her husband's. Having just gotten out of a bad relationship a few months earlier, I wasn't interested in the least. She was persistent. Eventually, I agreed to pass along my phone number and him and I ended up talking on the phone many time before we agreed to meet. To make things more comfortable, we arranged a group date at a small town rodeo.

We had a lot of fun that night, but I just wasn't ready to date. So....I friend-zoned him. True story. God truly had a plan in place though because even though I moved two states away shortly after our blind date, we remained good friends. We talked nearly every day on the phone and two years later - we got engaged. Having just had the one blind date. It's fun when people ask how long we dated before we got engaged because we laugh and tell them just once was enough.

Cooking is a second passion of mine. I'd read recipes that called for capers a number of times but not being familiar with what they were, always avoided them. After ordering Chicken Piccata once at an Italian restaurant, I learned capers are not only not scary - they are delicious! And cheap! (Bonus!)

This recipe is one of my husband's favorite "fancy" meals. I made it for him this year for Valentine's Day. It's really easy to make and so delicious. I hope you try it.

Chicken Piccata for Two

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Juice from 1 lemon
2 T olive oil
1/4 - 1/2 cup flour
1 cup white wine
2/3 cup chicken broth
2 T capers, drained
2 T butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Place thawed chicken in a gallon zipper bag and pound with a meat mallet until about 1/2 inch thick. Heat olive oil in large pan until hot and dredge chicken in flour. Place in hot oil and cook until chicken is nicely browned on each side (about 4 minutes per side). Transfer to plate and set aside.

Into the same skillet, add the white wine and bring to a boil, scraping the tasty browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add in the chicken broth, lemon juice and capers. Then add back in the chicken, reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes - until the sauce has thickened some and the chicken is cooked through.

Just before serving add in butter and let melt, you can garnish with lemon slices and parsley if you like. I serve this over pearled couscous or orzo noodles. In the photo, I was short on couscous, so I added the orzo and used them both!

~~~~~


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4 comments:

  1. What a great love story! Thanks for sharing your recipe my husband loves capers.

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  2. I did once and ended up marrying him. We will be married 50 years this year.

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  3. Thanks for sharing your story and the recipe!

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