Vicki's Favorite Chicken with Grapes, Couscous and Roasted Asparagus

Cook Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

1 1/2 pound asparagus
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, stripped from 6 to 7 sprigs
Coarse salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, eyeball it
2 pounds chicken tenders
1/2 cup white wine, eyeball it
2 1/2 cups chicken stock (available on soup aisle in paper boxes), divided
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grainy, stone-ground mustard
1 1/2 cups, about 1/2 pound, seedless red grapes, halved
2 cups couscous


Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.


Trim tough ends of asparagus and save for soup. Place asparagus in a large bowl and toss with about 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of chopped thyme leaves and salt and pepper. Spread the asparagus out on a cookie sheet and roast 10 to 12 minutes until the asparagus is tender and crispy at the tips.


Heat a large skillet over medium to medium high heat; add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, and 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. Place flour in a shallow dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper then dredge the tenders in flour and add it to the pan. Cook chicken 7 to 8 minutes until browned. Add wine and scrape up browned bits as wine cooks down and bubbles, 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup stock to skillet. Combine cream and mustard and add to stock. Add grapes to the pan and turn chicken and grapes to coat and combine with the sauce. Simmer 5 minutes over low heat.


Bring remaining 2 cups chicken stock and remaining tablespoon of fresh thyme to a boil in a small pot. Add couscous. Put a tight fitting lid on pot and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.


Serve tenders and grapes on couscous alongside asparagus.

From: foodnetwork.com

Show-Stopper Seared Scallops with Lemon Scented Bread Crumbs and Fettuccine with Saffron and Asparagus

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 1 pound asparagus tips
* 1 pound dry fettuccine
* Salt
* Extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons plus some for drizzling
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 shallot, thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup dry white wine, eyeball it
* 1/2 cup chicken stock
* 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
* Pinch saffron or 1 packet saffron powder, available at many
markets on spice aisle
* 1/4 cup heavy cream, eyeball it
* Black pepper
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 cup bread crumbs
* 1 lemon, zested
* Handful parsley, finely chopped
* 16 sea scallops, trimmed

Directions

Bring 1-inch of water to a boil in a large skillet as well as a large
pot of water, for pasta. When the water in the skillet comes up to a
boil, add salt and asparagus and blanch for 2 minutes, drain and
reserve. When the pasta water comes up to a boil, salt it and cook
fettuccine to al dente.

While the pasta water comes up to a boil, in the pan which you
blanched the asparagus in, heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,
over medium heat then add garlic and shallot and saute 4 to 5 minutes.
Deglaze with wine, reduce 30 seconds then add stock, tomatoes and a
pinch of saffron or an envelope of saffron powder. Simmer 10 minutes.
Stir in cream then season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

While sauce cooks, heat a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add
butter, melt then add the bread crumbs and toast them. Add salt and
pepper, lemon zest and parsley, remove and reserve. Wipe pan clean and
return the skillet to medium-high heat and preheat until very hot.
Drizzle scallops with extra-virgin olive oil and add to hot pan to
caramelize on each side, 3 minutes on the first side 2 on the second.

Chop asparagus into 1-inch pieces on an angle and add to sauce. Drain
pasta and toss with asparagus and sauce. Serve pasta with seared
scallops, 4 per person, alongside and top the scallops with the lemon
scented bread crumbs.

From: foodnetwork.com

Three Vegetable Penne with Tarragon-Basil Pesto

Cook Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 1 pound penne or whole-wheat penne rigate pasta
* Salt
* 1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed of tough ends
* 1 small zucchini
* 2 handfuls, 1/4 pound, haricots verts (thin green beans) trimmed
of stem ends
* 1/4 cup pine nuts
* 1 cup basil, 20 leaves
* 1/2 cup chopped tarragon leaves (10 to 12 stems)
* Handful flat-leaf parsley
* 1 lemon, zested
* 1 clove garlic
* 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls, plus
more to pass at table
* Coarse black pepper
* 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it

Directions

Heat a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Salt the water and add
pasta to cook to al dente or, with a bite to it. Cut asparagus spears
into 2 inch pieces on an angle. Cut zucchini into matchstick shapes.
Cut haricots verts or green beans into 2 -nch pieces on an angle. Add
vegetables to pasta after penne has been cooking about 5 minutes. Cook
veggies and pasta together 2 minutes.

While pasta cooks, toast pine nuts in a small pan until golden, then
cool. Place nuts, basil, tarragon, parsley, lemon zest, garlic, cheese
and a little salt and pepper in a food processor. Turn the processor
on and stream in the extra-virgin olive oil until thick sauce forms.

Scrape pesto into large, shallow serving dish. Add a ladle of hot,
starchy pasta water to the pesto. Drain penne and veggies and add
immediately to pesto. Toss to coat pasta and vegetables evenly. Adjust
salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with extra grated cheese to pass at
table.

From: foodnetwork.cm