Broiled Chicken with Creamy Spinach

This was a quick and tasty weeknight entree that could be spiced up any number of ways. I used chipotle powder (available from Penzey’s), which is a wonderful way to add a little smoke and heat, but you could substitute any spice or even salsa.

I sprinkled 2 chicken breasts with the chipotle powder and salt, plus a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream. I broiled them for 5 minutes or so, until they had browned on top. Then I removed them from the oven, flipped them and poured over another ½ cup of cream. They went back into the oven to broil until done. (The chicken pieces were thick, so this took about 10 minutes, and I had to flip them another couple of times.) The cream got very bubbly and browned in spots as the chicken cooked.

When the chicken was done, I removed it from the pan and put it in the oven, now turned off, to keep warm. I scraped the cream into a pot, added ½ cup stock and a bunch of spinach leaves, washed and stemmed. I brought the mixture to a boil and cooked, stirring all the while, until the spinach wilted and the liquid thickened. Voila! Creamed spinach. Serve with the chicken and some crusty bread.

The idea for this dish came from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen, although I didn’t follow his recipe exactly.

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How to Make Eggplant Parmesan

Now is the time for eggplant. If there is none in your garden, surely there is plenty at the farmers market. A lot of people don’t like eggplant, but I think that’s mainly because of how it’s cooked. Eggplant is the sponge of the vegetable world; when fried, it can absorb a lot of grease and turn into an unappetizing brownish mush. But when cooked in other ways, such as broiled or grilled, eggplant is hearty and flavorful.

Eggplant parmesan is one of the dishes many people think of when they think of eggplant. Unfortunately, the eggplant is usually smothered beneath breading, heavy tomato sauce and cheese — not the epitome of a light summer dish. This version of eggplant parmesan, which I made the other night to raves, is lighter, tastier and easier than the traditional version, and it takes advantage of the garden goodness that’s so abundant right now.

Here are the differences between this recipe and the traditional dish:

• The eggplant is broiled, not fried, and it is not coated with breading.
• The tomato sauce is a quick one, preferably made with fresh tomatoes.
• Keep a light hand with the cheese.

Eggplant Parmesan

Time to make: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Yields: about 4 servings

• 1 lg. eggplant
• olive oil for drizzling
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup or more tomato sauce, preferably made with fresh roma tomatoes (recipe)
• handful of fresh basil leaves, shredded
• 4 oz. whole-milk fresh mozzarella
• 4 oz. grated Parmesan

First prepare the tomato sauce. Amounts are approximate as I didn’t measure how much I used, but if you have the tomatoes, make extra and freeze the rest or use it for pasta.

While the sauce is cooking, preheat the broiler. Slice the eggplant into half-inch rounds. There is no need to peel or salt the eggplant, unless you suspect it may be particularly bitter. Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Drizzle lightly on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until tender, 8-10 minutes, turning once during cooking time. Set aside.

Turn the oven heat down to 425 degrees. In a casserole dish, spoon a thin layer of sauce. Add the eggplant slices in a single layer. Top with more sauce and scatter the basil over. Slice the mozzarella thinly. Layer the mozzarella on top, also in a single layer. Scatter over the Parmesan cheese.

Bake until bubbly, 20-30 minutes. Delicious served with a side of pasta.

Notes: You could easily turn this into chicken parmesan. Just cook the chicken as instructed here and substitute it for the eggplant. Thickly sliced, broiled zucchini or portobello mushrooms would also make a good substitution or addition to this dish.

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What’s in Season? Summer Squash & Zucchini

Aren’t we awash in squash? They say that if you can grow anything, you can grow squash, and my experience has borne that out. This is our first year having a vegetable garden, we planted one squash plant on purpose, and now I am pulling a full-grown squash off every other day or so. Not to mention “donations” of zucchini and pattypan squash from gardening neighbors.

The term summer squash refers to any squash with an edible skin. This includes zucchini and yellow crookneck squash (also called just “summer squash”), as well as pattypan squash, globe squash, scallopini and chayote, and a host of other varieties. That last one is used a lot in Mexican cooking, but unlike the others, it should be peeled before cooking and can’t be eaten raw.

We got our squash plant from the farmer’s market. It is a type of yellow squash called “zephyr.” I like it because it has a sweeter flavor than ordinary crookneck squash and a nifty two-tone finish (see the photo).

Summer squash keeps well, up to 5 days in the refrigerator. One medium squash or 1 cup sliced equals one serving. Because summer squash has such a high water content, I think they taste best when cooked over a high heat. We’ve all had those diet platters that feature watery, unappealing, steamed squash. Please, keep squash out of the steamer.

Instead, slice them up thick and broil or grill them for about 10 minutes. A little olive oil, salt and pepper, plus any kind of fresh herb to finish, are all you need to season them.

Summer squash also do well sautéed in butter or olive oil. To make them brown better, slice them into rounds, sprinkle with coarse salt and let them drain in a colander for 30 minutes before sautéing. This will drive a lot of the water out. Be sure to wipe the salt off before cooking.

If you’re like me, you may be inundated by so many squash this summer that you’ll come up with many unique ways of preparing them. Here are a few recipes from the blogs that looked particularly interesting:

• Bengali-style Summer Squash (Tigers & Strawberries)
  
• Early Summer Tian (Figs Olives Wine)
• Summer Squash with Goat Cheese & Romesco (Food Wishes)