Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: April 2010
Featured Recipe: Chicken Saltimbocca with Artichoke Sauce
In her Introduction, Sara Moulton talks about the reasoning behind this cookbook: “Ultimately, it seems to me that are several reasons why the need for a weeknight cookbook has increased in recent years. First, the recession is chasing more and more people into the kitchen; it’s cheaper to eat at home than to eat out. Second, although there’s now a world of recipes available on the Internet, how does the home cook know which ones to cook? … How many of those have been tested? … Finally, although food television is more popular today than ever, it is also more about entertainment than instruction. If someone actually wants to learn how to cook, he or she needs a cookbook devoted to that purpose.” Her latest cookbook includes more than two hundred new “family-tested, family-pleasing” recipes.
Cooks&Books&Recipes {Dee} on Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners cookbook:
With chapters including “Soup Suppers,” “Sandwich Night,” “Vegetarian Cornucopia,” “Five-Ingredient Mains,” and “Sunday Night Comfort Meals,” this cookbook should live up to its title. Particularly helpful is the first section, “How to Use This Book,” in which Sara explains all the basics listed in the recipes (e.g., “Butter is unsalted” and “Cream cheese and sour cream are whole milk or low-fat, not nonfat or fat-free”). For many of us (you know who you are), these explanations answer those questions we think we shouldn’t have to ask.
Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners
That looks so FANTASTIC!!!!
Cooking the Recipe: As part of our Labor Day weekend celebration of food and wine, we tried out this recipe with fantastic results! Preparation time was about 40 minutes. And although there were several preparation steps, they were simple to follow. We preferred to use basil instead of sage and since we had some Marsala we used that instead of sherry. Adding the Marsala to the skillet and bringing it to a boil while scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan made the most enticing aromas; we knew then that we were in for a delicious meal.
Our Results: The pounded chicken was tender; the basil was pungent, and accompanied by the tartness of the artichokes and the crispness of the prosciutto, it created a delightful combination of tastes. This dish looks much more sophisticated than it is to prepare and would be perfect for a dinner party with friends.
Side Notes: Since accompaniments and atmosphere are part of any good meal, we served this dish with haricots vertes and sliced mushrooms in basil butter and enjoyed a fresh loaf of Artichoke Feta bread from the Orion Bread Company in Cottonwood, AZ. The recipe paired well with a bottle of 2009 Vermentino from Cougar Vineyards in Temecula, CA. We ate in delightful silence while we listened to Mediterraneo by Marc Antoine. Perfecto!
This recipe looks wonderful! Definitely will have to give this a try – am always looking for something a bit special to do with chicken!
Editors, Cooks&Books&Publishers replied: — September 18th, 2010 @ 9:22 pm
Diane: You really should try this one. The result is special, but the recipe is actually very easy — my favorite combo!