Older Bolder Life

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olives

the Older Bolder Friday Feast: Greek Chicken Breast Sauté

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As my lovely wife and I have been wrestling ife back under control post our recent move, I came across one of our favorite old cookbooks that’s now out of print. It’s one of two collections of recipes from chefs working in and around Santa Fe and neighboring areas in New Mexico.

We’ve harvested literally dozens of great recipes from these cookbooks over the years, tweaking them to be healthier with cleaner ingredients, and marveling all the while at the flavors that the tri-cultural melting pot that is New Mexico has produced over the years.

If you’ve never made it to Santa Fe, go visit sometime, soak up the history, hike in the nearby hills (they call them mountains – the terrain is gorgeous, but more hilly than mountainous), and enjoy some of the culinary treasures of the region. And by all means, you have to do breakfast at The Pantry on Cerrillos.

Back to today’s recipe, this Greek Chicken Breast Sauté is an incredibly simple, easy to prepare, and quick from prep to table recipe that has been a staple around our camp for over 20 years.

We’ve served it to high brow company, enjoyed it many times around a relaxed family dinner table, and even cooked it a few times on the road or river while camping.

I’ve left it to you to choose your flour of choice to dust the chicken breasts; I’m not convinced that any of the alternative grain / gluten free flours brown as well as conventional wheat flour, though you need to experiment yourself. To be honest, I often season the chicken well and sauté it without any flour at all, though we do miss the good crust it makes now and again.

Finally, this is one of those recipes that is better with really good olives, though you don’t need to break the bank buying insanely expensive ingredients – it works really well with the basics too.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup seasoned flour of choice (salt, pepper, spices)
1/4 cup olive or avocado oil
1 and 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 cup fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
1/2 cup capers
2/3 cup black olives, pitted, sliced
2/3 cup green olives, pitted, sliced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped, or two fresh rosemary sprigs

Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour (see comment above) and shake off the excess.

Heat your oil of choice in a large skillet over medium high heat, then sauté the chicken for 3 minutes per side until golden (but not cooked through). Add the wine and simmer for 5 – 6 minutes until slightly reduced, then reduce the heat to medium.

Now add the tomatoes, capers, both olives, and the rosemary; simmer for another 4-8 minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened and the chicken is just cooked through.

Serve immediately on warmed plates with the sauce spooned on top.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Monday: Naomi B’s Greek Salad

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This salad has been part of our family food lexicon for the better part of three decades now, and is still one of our all time favorites in the rotation.

We first had this salad served to us by friends John and Naomi one summer evening, sitting out on their stone patio with a stream running not 15 feet away, with lamb kabobs roasting on the grill nearby. It was a part of one of those magical meals you remember for a long, long time, and we’ve often recreated it at home.

John was a practice partner, mentor, and fly fishing and woodworking compadre for many years; he and I launched the first practice of its kind in Utah back in the day, and spent many an hour grinding it out and developing our systems. John was a true gentleman; quick to laugh, impressively bright, and a great communicator in a relaxed, folksy sort of way.

Naomi and John lived up a little side canyon off the main Ogden Canyon along the Wasatch Front, on a little level bench with a year-round creek running through it; he had an amazing woodworking shop in the old barn on the property.

This salad is great anytime of the year, though when the freshest produce graces your favorite farmers market – or better yet your own garden – it’s outrageously good. By the way, we almost always add more dill and olives, and using a fresh slab of feta (we used a Bulgarian sheep’s milk feta this week) makes it even better.

And as always, you can fiddle and adjust the recipe to suit your (family’s) palate as you wish.

4-5 medium-sized firm-ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges, OR
2 big handfuls of grape tomatoes, various colors
3-5 garden cucumbers, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 green bell peppers, trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 red bell peppers, trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch slices
6-8 green onions with tops, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
30-40 good Kalamata olives
6 anchovy fillets, drained, rinsed, smashed or chopped
1/2 lb (or more) good feta cheese, crumbled small

The dressing
1/2 cup avocado or EV olive oil
5-6 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup fresh dill, snipped (at least this much, likely more)
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp fresh oregano
1/2 tsp good salt (or more)
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper (or more)

This one couldn’t be easier. Prepare and combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl, then toss to combine. Add the crumbled feta last, then toss gently once again.

In a small canning jar (or your favorite shaker) combine the dressing ingredients and shake well until emulsified. Pour over the salad, toss to evenly coat, and taste – you may want more dill or need to adjust the seasonings.

Best served pretty much immediately, though this salad is amazing for 24 hours or more.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Snack Wednesday 21 November: Citrus Spiced Olive Mix

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On this day before Thanksgiving, a preparation and travel day for many, here’s a simple snack or side dish we’ve served at family and friend gatherings many times before, a Citrus Spiced Olive Mix.

Friends and readers here know the goodness that olives (and olive oil) bring to any healthy food discussion, and even something this easy to prepare can really dress up your holiday, entertainment, or everyday table.

Adjust the spices as you see fit, though try it as written once to see what you think. We typically add a bit more red pepper flakes than listed…

3 cups good mixed olives (your choice, with pits)
1 cup EVOO (or 1/2 cup EVOO and 1/2 cup avocado oil)
Three 3-inch strips of orange peel (see notes)
Three 2-inch strips of lemon peel (see notes)
Two 2-inch strips of grapefruit peel, optional (see notes)
1 jar roasted red peppers, cut into strips
3 bay leaves (freshness matters!)
1 small-medium head of garlic, cut in half
1 tbsp fresh whole coriander, toasted, roughly crushed
2 tsp fresh whole fennel seeds, toasted, roughly crushed
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp fresh whole black peppercorns, roughly crushed

Place the olives in a medium mixing bowl, stir to combine the different types.

Over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, combine the oil(s), the various citrus peels, the garlic, and bay leaves. Cook, keeping an eye on the mixture, until the garlic (the cut edges) has slightly browned and the oil is fragrant. Remove from the heat and let the oil infuse for 90 minutes, then remove and discard the garlic.

To the olives add the roasted red peppers, the coriander and fennel seeds, the peppercorns, and the red pepper flakes, then pour the infused-oil mixture over all. Stir/toss to coat, and marinate at room temp for at least 2 hours before serving. Will hold in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Wednesday 20 June: ME’s Cauliflower Salad

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I’m not sure where it was that we first enjoyed this simple but delicious raw cauliflower “salad”, though you could just as easily call it a slaw.

Cauliflower is such a versatile workhorse in the kitchen and has been popping up everywhere in all sorts of forms these days; we happen to think it’s under-appreciated “just as it is” raw, as in serving it on your hummus tray, as crudite with your favorite dips or dressings, or in salads such as this.

This is one of those recipes to throw together, adding ingredients “until it looks right”, adjusting for your palate as you go, and you can use whatever olives and cheese float your boat. Try it and I’ll bet it ends up in your summer rotation over the next few months.

1 large head cauliflower florets, trimmed (the tender, small stems are good too)
1/2 to 1 cup good olives (pimento stuffed), chopped roughly
2-3 ounces cheese of your choice, great with a medium or sharp cheddar, or MJ
Approx. 1/2 cup homemade avocado or olive oil mayo (may need more)
1-2 tbsp olive brine
Optional: Jar of chopped pimentos, drained and chopped
Optional: 1-2 tbsp of fresh, coarse-ground black pepper

This one is a piece of cake to pull together – the most time consuming task is cutting up the cauliflower head; be sure to wash the florets well, then let them drain for several minutes before combining with the rest of the ingredients.

The beauty of this recipe, as with just about all salads and slaws, is that you can easily adjust the final amounts of the key ingredients to suit your (family’s) tastes. We never measure the ingredients for this one, and just add olives, cheese, and homemade avocado oil mayo until “it looks right”. (Try it as written to get an idea what it should look and taste like the first time around.)

Hold in the fridge until ready to serve, best made within 2-3 hours of serving.

Enjoy.