Healthy Chicken Florentine is a delicate and ancestral dish from France, a simply grilled chicken breast served on a spinach bed with unctuous Mornay sauce and extra grilled pine nuts to bring in a welcomed nutty and crunch touch. Healthy Chicken Florentine is such a simple and comforting meal. The term florentine is French to say from Florence, Italy. This dish was brought by Italian Catherine de Médicis and her love for spinach over in France when she married Henri II. The dish is usually; a protein (can be chicken, pork, egg, etc.) on a bed of spinach and topped with Mornay sauce (a cheezy Bechamel). Being a calorie bomb, this sauce… I didn’t make the protein swim in like most recipes for Chicken Florentine out there. I’ve simply added a bit to prevent the meal from getting too heavy, and frankly, it’s sufficient! Nutty Note I’ve added a few grilled…
This Golden Saffron Risotto with Asparagus is delicate and aromatic, filled with spring veggies like green asparagus, sweet peas and a touch of parmesan. I wouldn’t dare to call this dish “Risotto alla Milanese” since it contains some asparagus and peas, but truth be told, it’s pretty similar. Also, the original Risotto alla Milanese is usually made with beef broth and is the only risotto generally not served as a “primo,” first course, but as a side dish. Usually served with Ossobuco, this risotto is the king of the North (…of Italy, not Westeros…). For this Saffron Risotto with Asparagus particular recipe, I consider it a “main meal,” but it could also be served as a Primo or side dish. Variations You can make this dish vegetarian by substituting the chicken broth for vegetable broth, replacing the butter with olive oil and omitting the parmesan. Saffron rules! Saffron is the…
Butternut squash-blue cheese risotto is a great combination of flavours for this fall. Although blue cheese is a product people are black or white about… whether you love it or you hate it. It’s understandable, since it’s a quite powerful cheese, and not easy to pair. But if you are on the love side of the spectrum, this is the recipe for you. On the other end, butternut squash or you could also do it with the leftover of pumpkin you just carved for the kids… is a sweet element which needs a good contrasting element to balance it out. Those 2 together are a match made in heaven, one spicy and sharp and the other sweet and smooth, turns into a dynamic dish when put together. A well balanced dish. Also, another too often forgotten element which is important in this recipe is the : Black pepper. Yes… the black pepper…
If there is a traditional fall risotto in Italy, it’s the beloved risotto ai funghi made with those exquisite porcini mushrooms. Porcini mushroom is such an elegant and filled with flavor mushroom, if you are lucky enough to get it, in whatever form possible (fresh, canned or dry), you’ll never go back to button mushroom. Porcini mushrooms are a relatively bigger kind of mushrooms with a large stem, it’s flavor resemble meat and is quite powerful. It’s the ultimate mushroom to make risotto. The only downside of this wild mushroom is its cost… it’s a quite expensive mushroom and not always easy to find but if you do… and aren’t on a budget, get the Italian in you shine. For this particular recipe I’ve used a pack of medium size dried porcini I bought in Italy this summer. This way, you’ll have to soak the mushroom for about 20-30 minutes before use and then we’ll…