It's Saturday, ragazzi, and the weather is beautiful. Also, the Guyman and Annalena are off to a wedding later today. Hence, we were looking for lunch that was quick. And Guyman had his workout, so high protein was in order. And... since Buddha only knows what we shall eat and drink at the wedding, there was an emphasis on health. So with all of these in mind, Annalena pulled some boneless, skinless chicken breasts out of the freezer.
Boneless... skinless... chicken breasts. One of the most tasteless of all things. They need work. And, Annalena was working on what the heck to do with them, until she read a column by one of her favorite cooks, Martha Rose Schulman.
If you ever so wish, do a google of images of Ms. Schulman, and you'll see how she's gone from a hippy look, to an almost respectable, gorgeous older woman - the same way Joan Baez has. We should all age that well, ragazzi. Annalena knew her from her vegetarian cookbook days, and truth to be told, this recipe was vegetarian originally, using bean curd as the protein. But... as Annalena has been preaching lately, learn when you can substitute.
Ms. Schulman's column was on using THE WHOLE broccoli plant you buy. Of this, Annalena is guilty. She usually does not bother with the big stem: she cuts the flowers, and tosses the stem. BAD GIRL. She knows it, but does it anyway. So she read the column with interest. For various reasons, the other recipes did not appeal to Annalena, but this one did. And so, here it comes, ragazzi. It is very easy to make. It is healthy. It is gluten free, and if you choose to do it with the bean curd (or with gluten) it is vegetarian. You could probably do it with shrimp, or flank steak as well. Here we go.
You start with a pound and a half of protein. As Annalena noted, hers were boneless, skinless chicken breasts. She salted these the night before, and for lunch, cut the chicken into cubes. Put this aside while you work on your broccoli. Get a whole, large broccoli. Cut away the flowers - the part you'd eat normally - and put them aside as well. Now, get out your vegetable parer, and peel the thing. It isn't hard on the big, long stem. On the branches , well, do the best you can. And when you're done, cut everything into two inch long slices, about a quarter inch wide.
You now have your stir fry pretty much prepared. You do need some seasonings: four cloves of garlic, diced, and then chop up an equivalent amount of fresh ginger. You can mix those together, and if you are so inclined, add some red hot pepper flakes (recommended, as this is a bland dish without them). If you like them, get a quarter cup of unsalted peanuts as well. Finally, mix together two tablespoons of a soy sauce of some kind, half the amount of sherry, and a half cup of water. (If you're off the sauce, add more soy sauce).
Now, we're ready to cook. Get two tabelspoons of vegetable oil really hot, in a big pan, one that has a lid. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and move it around in the oil for a minute. It won't cook completely, but don't worry about that. Get as much of it out of the oil as you can, and add the garlic, the ginger, the red pepper if you are using it, and stir vigorously for 30 seconds. Now add all of the broccoli, the peanuts if you are using them, and the sauce you made. Stir everything together, and cook for a minute. Now add the chicken. Stir it all up together, and cover the pan, for another minute. Then, take it off, and cook, stirring, for another minute. If you have your doubts, taste a piece of the chicken, and a thick piece of broccoli to see if it's cooked to your preference.
And you're done, except for testing the seasoning.
Look at the plate below, ragazzi. This is one, of three plates, Annalena made with the recipe above. She served it on glass noodles, but you pick your starch, or don't eat any if, like Annalena's peng yu Ray, you're gettin naked this weekend in front of hundreds of afficianados. But do make it. If you vary it, bravo, and let us know.
Next time around, Annalena shall be exploring a new cookbook, on one of her favorite topics: fruit
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