Cathis Florentine Zucchini Food

CHICKEN FLORENTINE STYLE

Steps:

• Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour to coat lightly. Shake off any excess flour. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep it warm.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until the shallots are translucent, stirring to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, about 1 minute. Add the wine. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the cream and boil until the sauce reduces by half, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices to the sauce, and turn the chicken to coat in the sauce.
• Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in another large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and saute until heated through. Season the spinach, to taste, with salt and pepper. Arrange the spinach over a platter. Place the chicken atop the spinach. Pour the sauce over and serve.

ZUCCHINI CARPACCIO

Steps:

• Using a mandolin or a very sharp knife, slice zucchini into very thin rounds. Overlap zucchini disks in 1 layer on a plate; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the olive oil and lemon juice and scatter with leeks. Using a mandoline or a vegetable peeler, shave very thin slices of Parmesan and place them over leeks. Garnish with mint leaves. Serve immediately.

CATHI'S FLORENTINE ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until onions begin to soften. Stir in zucchini and season with salt and pepper.
• Increase the heat to medium-high and add the wine. Allow it to reduce by half, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in ricotta and cinnamon. Heat through and season with salt and pepper. Add drained pasta to skillet and toss. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE WITH SPRING VEGETABLE AND DOUBLE POTATO HASH AND RED WINE DEMI-GLACE

Steps:

• For the Chicken:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Steam spinach and let cool. Lay a long piece of plastic wrap over your cutting board and tuck it underneath the sides of the board. The chicken breasts should be placed on the covered cutting board, skin side down, with enough space between them so they can lay flat after you butterfly them. To make the butterfly cut, carefully slice open (without slicing the chicken all the way through) and spread the flesh of the chicken out so you will be able to pound it out into a single thin piece on which you will place stuffing and then roll up. Season the breasts with salt and pepper. Then put another length of plastic wrap over the seasoned chicken breasts and flatten with meat mallet to integrate the seasoning into the chicken. *Cook's Note: Covering the chicken with the plastic will also keep the mess down when you pound with the meat mallet.
• Pound chicken thin and remove plastic. In a small mixing bowl, mix together, blue cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan, lemon zest and white wine. Place equal amounts of the cheese mixture on each breast, followed by equal amounts of the steamed spinach. Fold in each end and roll tightly, securing with toothpicks as needed, and placing on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and brush with remaining olive oil. Place in the oven (leaving an oven rack available for the hash) and roast for 45 to 50 minutes, or until internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove stuffed chicken from oven and allow to rest.
• For the tapenade:
• Finely chop olives and plums and combine with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add 2 ounces of blue cheese and parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• For the Hash:
• In a large oven-safe skillet, add half the oil (1/4 cup) and warm the pan over medium low heat. Add the pieces of blanched asparagus and diced onion, and saute together for about 5 minutes until the asparagus feels cooked to the bite. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl toss the zucchini, diced white potatoes and diced sweet potatoes with the remaining 1/4 cup of oil and season them with salt and pepper. Get a nice even coating of oil on the zucchini and potatoes and place them onto a large roasting tray. Top with the asparagus and onion mixture and place in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes.
• For the Demi-Glace:
• Prepare demi-glace while the chicken and hash are in the oven, by melting the butter over medium heat in a saucepan and sauteing onion until tender. Whisk together cornstarch and red wine to make slurry, and add to onion along with veal stock. Let simmer over medium heat until reduced by 1/3, stirring occasionally.
• Once the hash is complete, toss 2 ounces of blue cheese with warm hash mixture and using a 3-inch circle mold or biscuit cutter as a mold, form a circle of the hash in the center of serving plate. Place stuffed chicken on top of hash, and spoon some of the tapenade onto the chicken breast. Drizzle demi-glace over chicken and hash.

FLORENTINES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C/gas 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour then add the cherries, flaked almonds, pistachios and orange zest.
• Scoop 10 flat tbsp of the mixture onto the baking sheets, leaving room for them to spread. You will need to do these in batches. Bake for 10 mins until golden. Leave to cool for 2 mins until firm enough to lift onto a wire rack. Cool completely. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
• Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a simmering saucepan of water or in the microwave in 30 second bursts. Turn the florentines over on the wire rack. Spoon chocolate onto the base of each florentine and gently spread to the edges. When the chocolate is firm enough to hold its shape, use a fork to draw wavy lines across the chocolate. Leave to set and then store in an airtight container.

ZUCCHINI FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Place the zucchini in a 1 1/2 quart casserole, dot with butter. Bake at 400ºF until the zucchini is partially cooked but still crisp, about 15 minutes.
• Combine the milk, eggs, salt, garlic salt, and pepper, pour over zucchini. Sprinkle with paprika.
• Set casserole in a shallow pan, filling pan to 1 inch with hot water.
• Bake at 350ºF. until a knife inserted halfway between the center and edge comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

CATHI'S FLORENTINE ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until onions begin to soften. Stir in zucchini and season with salt and pepper.
• Increase the heat to medium-high and add the wine. Allow it to reduce by half, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in ricotta and cinnamon. Heat through and season with salt and pepper. Add drained pasta to skillet and toss. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN CAESAR FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup cheese, 1 cup crushed croutons, spinach and 1/2 cup salad dressing. Cut a pocket in the thickest part of each chicken breast; fill with cheese mixture., Place remaining dressing and crushed croutons in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in dressing, then roll in croutons., Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 170°.