May 25, 2004
Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce
Several years ago I had a red pepper cream sauce at Cafe Mediterraneo that was fantastic. It was not on the regular menu, but was one of that night's "specials," and I have never seen it since. This sauce was one of the things that made me decide I needed to learn a little more about cooking, and prompted me to get my brother, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, to visit and give me some lessons.
When he came to visit, we made 4 or 5 little "dinners" with a variety of sauces, but not a roasted red pepper cream sauce. I've tried several times since then, and I never really come up with the right flavor, until...
Monday night I finally made a Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce that I was happy with, and it was surprisingly simple. Hopefully I'll be able to recreate it even though I mostly eye-balled the measurements. In the past I've always used jarred roasted red peppers, and this time I roasted my own, Maybe that accounts for better flavor? I don't know. With the chicken I made Rachael Ray's Primavera Orzo, although I used a mix of zuchini, yellow and chayote squash rather than the veggies she suggests. Rachael made a big point of adding a little curry powder as a "secret ingredient." We didn't dislike the curry flavor per se, but it was not a good match with the chicken and sauce. We decided the Primavera Orzo alone would make a good simple dinner some night, but if used a side dish, I think I'll omit the curry.
Chicken with Red Pepper Cream Sauce
2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4" thickness
1 large red bell pepper, roasted and peeled
1 small tomato, seeded and chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c dry vermouth
2 tsp Italian dried herb seasoning
2 or 3 Tbsp less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 c heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Flour
Preheat broiler. Split, seed and core the pepper. Place halves on a foil lined baking sheet and press each half flat. Broil the pepper until very well-blackened. Remove from oven and seal halves into a ziploc bag and allow to cool.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Sautee over med-high heat until done and remove to a plate and keep warm.
Reduce heat and add shallots. Cook until well-softened, maybe a little caramelized. While cooking shallots, remove peppers from bag. Peel and discard skin. Roughly chop pepper. Add garlic to shallots and cook for about a minute. Add vermouth and reduce until almost there is almost no liquid left. Add roasted peppers and tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Scrape red pepper mixture into food processor and blend well. Return mixture to pan and add chicken broth, Italian herbs, salt and pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes and allow some broth to boil off. Stir in cream.
Posted by David at May 25, 2004 10:43 PM | Edit