Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Food for thought...

OK...I have a new found respect for food stylists and photographers like Ryannan at
Just plain ole foodies like Jain from Once in a Blue Moon and Rachel from coconut and lime.
Recently I was asked to submit a recipe
and photos for a new
online magazine, Ofifteen.cool magazine...check em' out!
Sure....no problem. I cook. Actually I love to cook.
That, apparently is one part of the problem.
I don't measure. So trying to recreate and guesstimate amounts for a real live recipe
was a bigger challenge, that I have no doubt I fumbled.
I mean, is it copacetic to say a bunch of that and a handful of this??
And pictures...are you kidding??
Do you know how hard it is to get pictures of little pieces of chicken breast cooking in a pan
to look appealing?? Hmmmmm? I was NOT born with that gene...yet people do it time and time again. And beautifully. I bow to them.
Like I said. I have major gold star respect for these peeps now.
Thankfully, they only used a couple of the pics in their article...
But because I love you...and because I believe in full disclosure...
I give you the whole shebang....with pics of cooking chicken breast, to boot.
...for your viewing pleasure.

Pasta Parma Rosa...
Or as my 13 year old calls it pink chicken...
So...Here I am trying to make the raw chicken fit in with the other cast of characters
She's just not as photogenic...raw or cooked.
but we still love her.
It is important that chicken that will be in a recipe have good self esteem.
notice the scallions and tomato picked right from our friends garden.
They grow real veggies...In abundance. We, apparently, grow squirrels who eat veggies.
and cream from said friends cow, Bessie.
naw...just kiddin about the cream...it's straight from a box marked heavy cream

OK...the cooking chicken part. Raw breast (or you can choose thighs)
sliced across the grain and sauteed in some olive oil (you could add a bit of butter to make it brown a bit more, too)

Chop an onion...or maybe 1/2. you could add some chopped garlic too...
and this ladies and gent is where I go off that slippery slope
of a little of this, or try some of that...and all the sudden we are making
chicken pot pies instead of parma rosa.


Remove the sauteed and beautifully cooked chicken to a separate plate,
and in the same oil add the onion...saute until it sweats and browns a bit.
Then add Ole Bessie's cream (about a pint...maybe less). Let it bubble and cook
(medium high heat) until it reduces to half of its amount and thickens.

sneak in some fresh ground pepper...some salt....
oh...and some vodka. A splash (maybe 2TBSP)...it'll really bubble now.
let it work it's magic.


Now....add that can of diced tomatoes that was waiting patiently.
...I won't even mention that they could be fresh chopped, or sun dried or even some
jarred tomato sauce...


Throw in a handful of grated Parmesan cheese. Then look at it, taste it
and add more...then some more vodka...then some more pepper...
see?

Chop those fresh scallions
the tomato is just hanging out making sure they are chopped
perfectly



cook some tortellini
my kids always called them tortellini bellybuttons...or maybe that was me.
I love to use the fresh kind...but in lieu of paying $6 bucks for a tiny
container of it I grabbed some dried tortellini. It was not half bad...for half price.
But, here I go, you could use any pasta you have around.
I personally like the squiggly ones that hold the sauce...just so.

I usually put the pasta on a big white tray...pour the chicken in it's lovely pink sauce
over top...then add a teensy bit more parm.
then scatter those fresh scallions all over.
Ta da.


Then, dig in, and that's where the pictures go downhill again...
fast
and that is where I really appreciate those food stylists.




It is tasty, though.
Try it...I dare ya.


34 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh yummy! It's going on next week's menu!

Cyndee Greene said...

Looks great Linda! I think I will make this tomorrow...hopefully I won't eat the whole thing in one sitting...one of the downfalls of living alone :) Oooo...I'm going to pottery class w/ a friend tomorrow night...I think I will invite her here first...
And thanks for making me laugh alot...

Blue Muse said...

You are so funny! Those a pinch here, and handful there sort of recipes are all we have in my house! I love vodka tomato cream sauce! I've never had it with chicken, and I am So going to try your recipe. I'm all for giving the chicky some more self esteem!

Congrats on your recipe being published!
xo Isa

Ms. Tee said...

Mmmm...looks soooo good. I'm going to make this very soon!

Bridget said...

Oh that does sound delicious. I'll have to wait till my weight is gone to try it though. lol

Ry @ Sotto Il Monte Vineyards said...

What a sweetie! Thanks for the mention Linda. You do great work - I've already told all my editors that they just have to check out your blog site. You have a wonderful creative mind & the food looks delish.

Liz Harrell said...

I think you did a great job of styling! :) And wow, I am having serious stomach growling problems after seeing that food. Looks fantastic!

Joyce said...

Linda!!! This looks so... good! The photos are super duper!! Enjoy!

Mango Gal said...

This looks delicious! I'm definitely trying it.

BitLizard said...

So that's where my onion went... oh well, it was worth it. :-)

Dionne said...

Dang that looks delicious! I can't wait to try making this!

a quiet life said...

you are so sweet to call me a foodie! fatty and gardener is more my true name...

i loved watching you cook, very fun! it looks delish, or is that the vodka talking! nothing like cocktail chicken~

another super pictorial, lip smacking good~

Anonymous said...

It looks wonderful Linda. I'll save the "recipe" and try it!

Unknown said...

Hey you Linda - I love your style of cooking so much add a little of this and a dab of that is right up my alley. Ah that dish looks positively yummy!

Loved all the pictures Linda - I really enjoyed seeing the whole process of this dish coming together.

Blessings - Debbie

Ivy Lane said...

WOW, YUM! gonna try it!!!

Millie said...

Hey Linda - I think you're being too hard on yourself girl! You did a mighty fine job of the shopping, preparation, cooking, styling, photography, eating & cleaning up. Most food mags would have one person to do each of these chores, so bravo to you for your excellent multi-tasking! Although was that a touch of exhaustion I noted in your post!
Millie ^_^

Linda@ Lime in the Coconut said...

Clean up??! Was I supposed to clean up too???

exhaustion? Nawwwwwwww. (snore)

Anonymous said...

You've got me starving over here. All I had for dinner was a bowl of cereal, now I might have to go to the grocery store:)

My Decor Style said...

I think your food photo styling is pretty damn good! You should feature one recipe a week. It inspires me to cook!

anita said...

yum recipe...i am a fan of the vodka splash myself!

Honey Bend Vintage said...

That looks so good~ Enjoyed visitng your blog.
Bristol

Natalia said...

LOL! That does sound delicious...

This post cracked me up.

Plus I betcha the other pic was totally photoshopped! LOL

Tina { Luphia Loves... } said...

oh mine, what a great post, step by step instructions? exactly what i need! and it looks so yummy, i'm drooling all over my keyboard now! ;)

SeaWorthy said...

YUMO!!

looks great and so delicious!

Maria Killam said...

And such a lovely food photographer you turned out to be. Love the one of the liquid pouring into the onions! I wouldn't have thought of that!!

Melissa said...

This looks fantastic! I'm in the process of cleaning out my pantry and all the pasta I seem to have collected. I'll have to try this next week.

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Now,that looks scrumptious! Bet it is good.

Tamara Jansen said...

Yummy! That looks amazing and.....sooooo easy :)

Joyce said...

Linda- I came back to look at this again and to add it to my grocery list for next week!
Have a golden weekend my friend! xoxo

Linda Lou said...

Looks delicious-pictures are great, when I saw the bottle of Vodka and the cream, I knew it was a killer recipe....gonna try it!

Visual Vamp said...

Man, why don't you live next door?!
xo xo

Ana Balbinot said...

Hummmm....Delicious!

for the love of a house said...

Wow! This looks great! You did a wonderful job with your photos- very impressive! And I'm thinking that's not easy to do with food!

Jenny Wren said...

Yum! This was dinner tonight and it was delicious! Thanks Linda.

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