Alessi presents 'In the Kitchen' with Wayne Johnson, a food and lifestyle blogger
This segment is sponsored by Alessi and Pete's Fresh Market.
In WCL's "In the Kitchen" segment, we challenge cooks of all walks of life to create a dish using the ingredients we give them.
Wednesday's "In the Kitchen" cook was Wayne Johnson, a food and lifestyle blogger at waynesweekend.com. He returned with his extensive knowledge and passion for food makes him a perfect choice.
We set out Alessi products that must be used, one protein and some kitchen staples - then the cook needs to work their magic.
Our Friends at Alessi sent Wayne home with a gift basket of goodies. Visit their website for all the Alessi products: http://alessifoods.com/
Alessi and Pete's Fresh Market have a surprise for our viewing audience. Until 2am tomorrow, go to the main page of windycitylive.com, click on promotions and go to the WCL Grocery Instant Win contest for your chance at winning one of these great prizes -- $50 gift certificate to Pete's Fresh Market or Alessi Gift Box
And you can opt in for a free package of Alessi Pasta Fazool.
Plus one lucky member of our studio audience went home with the Alessi basket of goodies and a $100 gift certificate to Pete's Fresh Market!
Visit Pete's Fresh Market website: https://www.petesfresh.com/
Wayne's products were:
- Alessi Bread Crumbs
- Alessi Farro
- Alessi Capers
- Alessi Sun Dried Tomatoes
Find out more about Wayne at his website: http://waynesweekend.com/
Here are Wayne's recipes:
Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
1 lb thinly sliced Chicken Breasts
1 cup Alessi Bread Crumbs
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 cu grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tbl Olive Oil
4 tbl Butter
3/4 cup White Wine (or Chicken Stock)
1/3 cup Alessi Balsamic Capers
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
2 tbl Lemon Juice
4-5 thin Lemon Slices
1/4 cup Flat Leaf Parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish
Method
Mix together bread crumbs, flour and parmesan cheese. Place mixture in a pie pan or flat plate. Rinse chicken in cold water. While still wet, dredge chicken in bread crumb mixture. Set aside. Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat in a large saucepan. Once butter melts and starts to bubble, add chicken breasts and cook for about 3 minutes per side, with minimal turning. Remove from pan and either set aside or place in a pan in an oven on warm. Increase heat on saucepan to high and deglaze pan with white wine, scraping all the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add salt and pepper and continue to sauté until mixture has reduced by half. If you want a really smooth sauce, you can strain the mixture at this point to remove all the burnt bit and return the sauce to the pan (but this is optional). Add capers and lemon juice and stir to combine. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and stir until mixtures thickens. Return chicken to the pan along with the lemon slices just to get them covered in the sauce. To serve, divide chicken among serving plates. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the capers and lemon slices over the chicken and then pour the sauce from the pan over each serving. Top with parsley.
Farro with Sun dried Tomatoes and Toasted Pine Nuts
Ingredients
2/3 cu White Onions, finely chopped
1 tbl Olive Oil
2 cu Chicken Stock
1 cu Alessi Organic Farro
4 oz Alessi Sun Dried Tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
1/4 cu Alessi Pine Nuts (optional), toasted
Method
Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a medium saucepan. Add onions and sauté until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring mixture to a boil. Add farro and sun dried tomatoes. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove from heat, fluff with a fork and serve. Top with toasted pine nuts.
Cranberry Compote
Ingredients
2 cu Fresh Cranberries
1 cu Orange Juice
1/2 cu Granulated Sugar
Fresh Mint, for garnish
Method
Place cranberries, orange juice and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat until cranberries begin to pop, but don't over cook to the point when cranberries completely lose their shape, about 20 minutes. Transfer compote to single serve ramekins and top with a sprig of fresh mint. Serve as a side dish.
