Not-so-extravagant 400th episode

Hundred-multiple episodes of UaKS have traditionally featured some kind of contest and giveaway to celebrate, but this time I'm going to rely on our recent trip to Seattle as the "extravaganza." We loved seeing Dylan and Moriah's house, with all of the amazing work they've already done on it. They are in a great location, less than 1½ miles from Green Lake. There is a 3-mile path around the lake, which I took full advantage of on several early-morning runs in Seattle's amazing summertime weather (mid-50s overnight, with daytime highs in the 70s, and a gloriously low dew point). They are within walking distance of all of the most important things in life: good grocery stores, bakeries, restaurants (including Zouave, a wonderful Mediterranean restaurant we really enjoyed), and even a solid bookstore and cafe (Third Place Books). On this trip we discovered, within just ¾ of a mile of Dylan and Moriah's place, Grateful Bread Bakery & Cafe, which had some of the best bagels we've tasted outside of C'ville, and Top Pot Doughnuts, which had some really good donuts and even better apple fritters.

 

 

There was lots of laid back game and card playing but also a number of great outings. One day we reprised last year's trip to Pike Place Market and Chihuly Garden and Glass, which is pretty incredible.

 

The highlight for me, though, was our hike at Mount Rainier, which I finally got to see up close and personal after all these years, on a crystal clear day. Starting at the Sunrise Visitor Center (at an elevation of ~6,400 feet), we did a four-mile loop on the Sourdough Ridge trail and a connecting trail, both of which were still about 40% covered in snow. There was lots of slipping and sliding to go along with the views, which got more and more awe-inspiring as the hike progressed.

 

Seven happy, smiling people all in one photo, how often do you see that?! That tells you everything you need to know about our trip. We can't wait til next year!

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The utility of the poop knife

One of the funniest things I've ever read is the personal essay "Big Boy" by David Sedaris (Esquire, Nov. 1999; later included in his collection Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000), $1 at the book sale). (It's only 715 words; stop reading this episode and go check it out right now.) The gist is that Sedaris is at a dinner party with friends and excuses himself to use the john. But there he finds "the absolute biggest turd I have ever seen in my life—no toilet paper or anything, just this long and coiled specimen, as thick as a burrito." Sedaris flushes the toilet twice, but the big boy refuses to budge. Then someone knocks on the door to take their turn and Sedaris panics, afraid that they'll think he laid the enormous loaf. So Sedaris finds a plunger and uses the handle to "break the turd into manageable pieces," which he finally gets to go down the toilet with one last flush.

If only Sedaris had had access to the Original Poop Knife (motto: "it's a real thing"), there would have been nothing to fear. What is a poop knife? I'm glad you asked because I only just heard about it at Uncle Clint's birthday party. The Original Poop Knife* is a thin instrument, shaped kinda like a jar scraper, and made out of "hygienic silicone," which you'll be relieved to know is "easy to clean" and "dishwasher safe," just in case you wanted to take this thing straight from cutting poops in your john to your sink or dishwasher for a cleaning. The silicone surrounds a "strong metal core" for "ultimate poop cutting power." And best of all, it's 9.8 inches long so you can cut those hard-to-reach poops in the bottom of the bowl while keeping your hands "clear of the Danger Zone." All that design excellence can be yours for a mere $19.99 (makes a great stocking stuffer!).

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*The story of the original poop knife first appeared in a Reddit post by "Learned Butt," in whose family "everyone births giant logs of crap" that were so often unflushable his family started using a rusty old kitchen knife to cut their turds up to stop the overflowing toilets.

 

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My readers

I'm a sports fan, so it's in my nature to be captivated by statistics. Every once in a while, I check the stats Blogger provides to use in analyzing your blog traffic. In the case of UaKS, it's sort of laughable to even use the word "traffic" with the usual picture it brings to mind of an endless stream of cars stuck on a freeway in L.A. My total pageviews as of this instant are up to a whopping 13,256, which is probably less than what Smitten Kitchen or David Lebovitz get every time they even think of sneezing on a keyboard.

Anyway, there were two stats that interested me, even for my pathetic readership (a big thank you to my TWO loyal subscribers and, yes, I do have THREE children, thanks for asking). First, my top ten most viewed posts:

1. The holy grail of chocolate chip cookies (thank you, Katherine Redford)
2. A big lentil moment (lentil stew with or w/o sausage)
3. Tinkering, episode II (hummus 2.0)
4. The dud parent (fettuccine Alfredo; I'm so happy this is here!)
5. Breakfast choices (no-stir chocolate granola & faux Nutella)
6. Uncle Clint's mac & cheese (the one that started it all)
7. My favorite pan (spaghetti & meatballs)
8. The weekend baking (blueberry muffins and buttermilk oatmeal bread)
9. Some of my favorite things (pizza with caramelized onions, figs, & goat cheese)
10. 100th episode extravaganza: 9 cookbooks (a contest, but no recipe)

So it's obviously the popular recipes that are drawing you back, not my stellar writing and trenchant social commentary. Oh, well.

Second, my pageviews by country:

1. United States     12,303
2. Russia                    373
3. Ukraine                    92
4. Portugal                   84
5. France                     64
6. Unknown Region       44
7. Poland                      43
8. Germany                  32
9. Philippines                15
10. Canada                     14

Given that my percentage of pageviews from Russia used to be over 10% of the total, it's clear my Russian readership is drying up, despite my overtures of friendship. Oh, well, times two. I guess they have more important things to do over there nowadays.

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I've had this recipe flagged in my copy of The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2011 magazine for years, but didn't make it until recently. It requires only a small effort for a big payoff. Mom and I both loved this and will happily have it again.

Chicken Tacos

Adapted from The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2011

Time: ~45 minutes

The recipe is written for four 6-ounce chicken breasts. Many 1½-pound packs will only have two very large chicken breasts; if that’s the case, cut them in half lengthwise before poaching them. The recipe suggests 6-inch flour tortillas, but you can use corn tortillas for gluten free; also, I prefer tortillas a little larger than 6 inches if you can find them. You can warm the tortillas in the microwave, wrapped in a clean kitchen towel, or in a 300 degree oven, wrapped in foil, for about 5 minutes.

For the poached chicken and sauce
3 tablespoons (1½ ounces) unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced chipotle in adobo
½ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, divided
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see note)
1 teaspoon yellow or Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

To serve
12 6-inch flour or corn tortillas, warmed (see note)
shredded lettuce
grated cheese
diced avocado
chopped tomato
sour cream, optional

    1. Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan that comes with a lid. Stir in the garlic and chipotle and cook, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the orange juice, Worcestershire, and ½ cup of the cilantro. Add the chicken and cover the pan. Lower the heat as needed to maintain a steady simmer (about medium-low), and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through. The chicken should register 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer the chicken to a plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
    2. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until the sauce is reduced to ⅓ cup, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the mustard. Stir in the remaining ¼ cup cilantro.
    3. Use two forks to shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Return the chicken to the pan, and toss to coat with the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve promptly with warm tortillas and toppings.

A difference of opinion

Mom has been in a tizzy for days. First there was going to be some snow, maybe 1 to 3 inches; then no snow at all; then 5 to 7 inches in the latest forecast. Mom thought about making a quick Trader Joe's run with me this morning before the snow started, but decided against it because she didn't want to orphan you guys if something happened while I was out buying the food for me to cook for her. The sacrifices she makes for you guys! I told her not to forget about the life insurance, but fortunately I made it home in one piece. Then the snow started. Here is the view from our deck not that long into it:

We're way past that now, at about 8 inches and still falling. School has already been canceled; Mom is insufferable. She asked don't I like the snow just a little bit? I agree it looks pretty coming down, and I used to love running in the snow (so quiet), especially with Aldo. But now it's just another way to get injured. Plus, I still have to deal with the roads and work, unlike Mom who gets a day (or more) off. I'm practicing my Buddhist acceptance now.

The day after; see the ruler Mom uses to track the progress of the snow piling up?

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A snowy day seems like a good time to have stew, so I dug into the big, black recipe binder for an old standby Mom and I haven't had in many years, and made this using some of the food I risked my life to get this morning. It's a snap to throw together and pretty darn tasty, so we'll likely add this back into the dinner mix occasionally when it's just the two of us around.

Jamaican Chicken Stew

Adapted from Cooking Light (November 2002) via My Recipes

Time from start to finish: 45 minutes (using a rice cooker)

I'm sticking with the name Cooking Light gave this dish, though I don't know that it's particularly "Jamaican" except for the use of allspice and black beans.

1½ cups uncooked long-grain rice
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon curry powder or hawaij spice blend
½ teaspoon ground allspice 
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
kosher salt
1 medium (~4–6 ounces) onion, chopped (~1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14½-ounce can regular or fire-roasted diced tomatoes with their juices
¼ cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

    1. Start the rice cooking in a rice cooker or on the stovetop.
    2. In a medium bowl, stir together the chicken pieces, 1 tablespoon of the oil, curry powder, allspice, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and a pinch of salt.
    3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan, saucier, or stockpot that has a lid. Stir in the onion, season with a pinch of salt, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
    4. Stir in the chicken mixture. Cook, stirring as needed, until no longer pink on all sides, about 4 or 5 minutes.
    5. Stir in the beans, tomatoes with their juices, wine, and capers. Cover and reduce the heat as needed to maintain a steady simmer. Cook, stirring once, until the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Serve promptly over the cooked rice. Serves 4.

Winning the Rome Derby

Real life offers sadly few opportunities to win things. There are moments that feel like winning—getting a job, say, or getting married. But then you have to live with another person and cannot ever again poop with the door open.

               –Alexandra Petri, A Field Guide to Awkward Silences

This season's first Rome Derby was played on Saturday, September 29, which was the day after Brad's 18th (!) birthday, which was the day after Francesco Totti's birthday. As Wright Thompson pointed out in his excellent piece for ESPN ("The eternal derby reveals why Italian football finds its way into your blood"), the Rome Derby is always played in the afternoon, so police can better deal with the potential of post-match violence between the warring supporters of AS Roma and SS Lazio, the two teams that play in the Italian capital.

Embed from Getty Images

When the game kicked off last Saturday at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time (3:00 p.m. in Italy), I didn't know if either Brad or Dylan (6:00 a.m. Pacific time) would be awake.  But sure enough, when I texted to check they were both watching. And so we had our first three-way Derby della Capitale match-thread text, which was the next best thing to watching the big game with my boys in the room with me. Thankfully, it was well worth getting up for, as Roma thrashed Lazio 3-1 in a thrilling performance spearheaded by the 22-year-old Roman Lorenzo Pellegrini, who was playing in his first Rome Derby and fully understands the significance of this match. Real life may not offer many opportunities to actually win things yourself, but it sure feels like you've won something when Roma beats Lazio in the Derby.


Embed from Getty Images

Later that day, we celebrated Brad's birthday at Andi and Adam's house. At Brad's request, we brought Baked Ziti and his favorite Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies. I also made a batch of Katherine Redford's Chocolate Chip Cookies so there would be enough cookies to go around and for Brad to have plenty left to bring back to school. Because what can make you more popular in a college dorm than sharing a big sack of homemade cookies? All in all, it was a winning day from start to finish.

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Some things that make me cry

Recently, I sent Dylan a piece of creative nonfiction I wrote to get his opinion. He loved it, in part, he said, because I tend to express emotion more strongly in my writing, such as in my blog posts, than in person. I was a little surprised by that, given how easy it is to get me to cry as I've gotten older. But then I realized Dylan hasn't often been around when I'm doing one of the many things that starts the tap flowing for me, including:

1. Family gatherings where I have to say something about any of you;
2. Being injured and unable to run for an extended period;
3. Listening to the great German tenor Fritz Wunderlich sing "Ombra mai fu" from Xerxes by Handel;
4. Watching A.S. Roma beat Barcelona on a late goal in their 2018 Champions League quarterfinal tie, while Dylan and I were madly texting each other from across the country;
5. Watching the "you had me at 'hello'" scene from Jerry Maguire;
6. Watching the "I choose us" scene (among others) from The Family Man;
7. Watching the concluding scene from Crocodile Dundee;
8. Watching the concluding scene from "The Gift," Season 5, Episode 22 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer;
9. Listening to Grandpa Guy tell this story during our recent visit: After Grandma Pina died, my Zio Franco told Grandpa Guy that he had once asked Grandma Pina if she ever regretted leaving her close-knit family behind in Italy to marry Grandpa Guy and live with him in New York. Given how hard it always was on Grandma Pina to be 3,000 miles from her family, Grandpa Guy feared the worst. But Zio Franco said Grandma Pina immediately answered that she would do "everything the same" ("tutto lo stesso").

Okay, so being a sucker for sappy movies may not be tres manly, but I'd have to be a pretty cold-hearted s.o.b. not to well up at #9 on the list.

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Farewell dinner

Earlier this week, we packed Dylan back off to Seattle after a nice stay with us here in C'ville. (Poor Brad has had to watch the World Cup all by himself since Dylan left.) The evening before Dylan went, I made a farewell dinner with a few new items, including a simple chicken and fig curry from Made in India, which was a big hit with the three carnivores in our family. And everyone really liked the lemon gelato, including Dylan, who's not usually a big ice cream fan.

Chicken and Fig Curry

Adapted from Made in India (2015) by Meera Sodha and Meera Sodha's website

Time from start to finish: 60 minutes

12 dried figs
1¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
¾ teaspoon red chilli powder (preferably Kashmiri), or to taste
1¾ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
250 grams (~1 cup + 2 tablespoons) Greek yogurt (plain whole milk yogurt works too)
2 tablespoons canola or sunflower oil
1 very large or 2 medium white onions (~300 grams total), finely sliced from pole to pole
1 cinnamon stick
4 garlic cloves, chopped
a 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated on a Microplane (1½ tablespoons)

    1. In a small bowl, pour boiling water over the figs. Let them soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
    2. Place the salt, garam masala, and chili powder in a large bowl. Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, then cut them into ¾-inch cubes. Add the chicken and the yogurt to the bowl with the spices. Drain the figs, then cut them lengthwise into quarters and crosswise into ¼-inch pieces. Add the figs to the chicken mixture, and stir until everything is well mixed.
    3. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet or sautè pan (that has a lid) over medium heat. Stir in the onions and cinnamon stick. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and golden, about 8–10 minutes.
    4. Stir in the garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken mixture, cover, and cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the chicken is cooked through and a sauce has formed. Remove the cinnamon stick. Serve the chicken and sauce promptly with basmati or jasmine rice. Serves 4.

No-Churn Lemon Gelato

Adapted from Dori Sanders’ Country Cooking (1995) by Dori Sanders via Food52 (with video)

If you’re like us and all you have on hand is 1% milk, use 257 grams (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) heavy cream and 223 grams (1 cup - 2 tablespoons) 1% milk. The original recipe calls this "ice cream," but given the intense lemon flavor, the lack of any overrun, and that there's no egg custard base, I think this is more like gelato than ice cream.

1 tablespoon lemon zest grated on a Microplane

¼ cup (60 grams) freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 very large or 2 medium lemons)

1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar

⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 cups (480 grams) light cream; or 1 cup (235 grams) heavy cream + 1 cup (245 grams) whole milk (see note)

    1. In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, juice, sugar, and salt until well combined.

    2. In a 2-cup measuring cup, stir the cream and milk together. Trickle into the lemon-sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until the sugar is completely dissolved (you won’t hear or feel the sugar scraping on the bottom of the bowl anymore), about 2 minutes.

    3. Scrape into an 8-inch square metal baking pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and freeze until the mixture is solid around the edges and mushy in the middle, about 3 hours. Stir well, then spread evenly in the pan. Cover with foil again, then continue to freeze until the ice cream is completely firm, about 1 hour more. Makes ~1 pint.

Burrito bar

Mom and I hosted the annual Walton guidance end-of-year get-together last weekend. Mom thought a Chipotle-style burrito bar would work well, so I set about researching copycat Chipotle burritos. Chipotle helpfully publishes an ingredient statement for every dish it serves. Lots of websites have used the ingredient statement to create their own copycat versions of the Chipotle dishes. I looked at some of those and went to work.

This is the longest recipe I've ever posted on UaKS, but it really wasn't that onerous to put together, and the results were very good (or at least that's what everyone said). Mom always panics that we're going to run out of food, so we made twice as much food as in the recipe below (and more than three times as much meat—over six pounds of chicken and steak), which was twice as much as needed to feed the 11 people who came. So this recipe should be plenty to feed 8 to 10 people, even in our family.

Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burritos

Adapted from various sources, including Mashed, Culinary Hill, and the Chipotle ingredient statement

Here is a copycat recipe for Chipotle sofritas if you want to keep it vegetarian.

For the chicken
1 tablespoon finely chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon sunflower, olive, or rice bran oil
½ teaspoon distilled white vinegar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large garlic clove, minced
water, as needed
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

For the guacamole
¼ cup finely chopped shallot, red onion, or white onion
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno or serrano pepper
½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
4 ripe avocados (~2 pounds)
freshly squeezed lime juice to taste

For the cilantro-lime rice
3 rice-cooker cups (2¼ cups) white or brown rice (brown takes longer to cook; I like jasmine rice)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 bay leaves or ¼ teaspoon laurel bay leaf powder
1 teaspoon sunflower, olive, or rice bran oil
water
Juice of ½ lemon, freshly squeezed
Juice of 1 lime, freshly squeezed
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

For the beans
2 15-ounce cans black or pinto beans, or one of each
2 teaspoons sunflower, olive, or rice bran oil
1 small or ½ medium yellow onion (~3 ounces), finely chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
Juice of ½ lemon, freshly squeezed
Juice of 1 lime, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon finely chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
2 bay leaves or ¼ teaspoon laurel bay leaf powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste

For the fajita vegetables
4 green bell peppers, trimmed and sliced into 1-centimeter-thick strips
2 red onions, trimmed and sliced, pole-to-pole, into 1-centimeter-thick strips
¼ cup sunflower, olive, or rice bran oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

For the build
8 or more burrito-sized tortillas
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated
good store-bought salsa or Fresh Tomato Salsa (recipe below) or Best-Ever Smoky Red Salsa
shredded romaine lettuce
sour cream or whole-milk yogurt

    1. For the chicken: Place the chipotle chilies in adobo, oil, vinegar, salt, oregano, cumin, pepper, and garlic in the bowl of a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth. Pour into a 1-cup measuring cup. Add enough water to make ¼ cup of marinade.
    2. Pour the marinade into a ziplock bag. Add the chicken, seal the bag, and press with your hands until the chicken is evenly coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 90 minutes.
    3. Cook the chicken on medium-high in a grill pan or on an outdoor grill until charred and cooked through, 8–10 minutes total. Allow the cooked chicken to rest for a few minutes, then cut it into bite-sized pieces.
    4. For the guacamole: Place the shallot or onion, cilantro, and jalapeno or serrano in a mound on a cutting board. Sprinkle with the salt. With a large chef's knife, cut and mash together until everything is very finely chopped or pureed. (You can also do this with a mortar and pestle if you have one.) Transfer to a small bowl.
    5. Halve the avocados and remove the pits. Cut the flesh in a crosshatch pattern. Using a large spoon, scoop the pieces out of the skins and into the bowl. Add lime juice to taste. Stir everything together gently with a silicone spatula, leaving chunks of avocado. Taste, and add more salt and lime juice as needed.
    6. For the rice: Place the rice, salt, bay leaves, and oil in the rice cooker pot. Add water and cook according to the manufacturer's directions.
    7. Transfer to a large bowl. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon and lime juice and the cilantro.
    8. For the beans: Drain one of the cans of beans, but not the other. Place the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onions and cook until softened and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
    9. Stir in the beans (including the liquid from one of the cans), lemon and lime juice, chipotle in adobo, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook until heated through and the liquid has reduced some, about 10 minutes. Taste for salt. Remove and discard the bay leaves before serving.
    10. For the fajita vegetables: Stir all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. 
    11a. Transfer the vegetables to a large skillet (not nonstick), and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are charred and softened, about 8–10 minutes.
    11b. Alternatively, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Transfer the vegetables to an 18-by-13-inch sheet pan. Roast until charred and softened, about 20 minutes. You can switch to the broiler in the last few minutes of cooking to help get a good char.
    12. For the build: Serve burritos (or bowls without burritos) with your choice of chicken, rice, beans, fajita vegetables, guacamole, grated cheese, salsa, lettuce, and/or sour cream. Serves 8 to 10.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Adapted from The Quick Recipe (2003)

½ chipotle chile in adobo sauce or ½ small jalapeño chile, minced
¼ small red onion, peeled, root end removed, and coarsely chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 small, ripe tomatoes (about ¾ pound), cored and cut into eighths; or one 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

Place all of the ingredients except the tomatoes into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until minced, about 5 one-second pulses. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the tomatoes and process until roughly chopped, about 2 one-second pulses. Transfer to a sieve to drain the excess liquid, about 1 minute. Makes about 1 cup. (The salsa can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

Making a pan sauce

This is a great recipe to work through for two reasons. First, it's really tasty, one of our favorites for many years; Mom and I used to have Chicken Piccata almost every week before the dark (vegetarian) times came. Second, knowing how to make a pan sauce is a really useful technique. It's an easy way to elevate a simple sauteed chicken breast (or a pork chop or a seared steak or any other kind of meat) into something really delicious.

All you do is cook the meat in a stainless steel pan; it can't be nonstick because otherwise there won't be little caramelized brown bits of goodness (called fond) left in the bottom of the pan. Once the meat is done, you take it out, then saute an aromatic, often shallot, in the fat left in the pan. Add some kind of liquid—wine or other alcohol, stock, vegetable broth, even water—and deglaze the pan by scraping up the fond with a wooden spoon while the sauce boils and reduces, concentrating all the flavors. Once the liquid is reduced, you usually whisk or stir in some cream or butter, some kind of herb (parsley, thyme, chives), and an acid (vinegar, lemon juice) to brighten the sauce. Pour it over the meat and dig in. Here is a decent video showing the general steps.

The main recipe is for Chicken Piccata, which is the one I made tonight and that we've had the most often, but the other sauces are good, too. I only included the ingredients and the steps for making the chicken in the main recipe.

Chicken Piccata

Adapted from The Best Recipe (1999) and the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (2011)

Sautéed Chicken Breasts
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 to 8 ounces each, 1½ to 2 pounds total)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil such as sunflower or canola
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Sauce
1 small shallot, minced (2 to 3 tablespoons)
¾ cup real chicken stock or low-sodium vegetable broth
¼ cup lemon juice from 1 large lemon, divided
2 tablespoons (20 grams) capers, rinsed if you like
2 tablespoons (30 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves  
salt and freshly ground black pepper

    1. For the chicken breasts: To make thin cutlets, halve each breast crosswise, then halve only the thicker piece horizontally (place the palm of your non-knife hand on top of the thicker piece, then slice through the center with a sharp knife). Place the cutlets between sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound to an even ⅓-inch thickness with a meat pounder or the bottom of a heavy skillet. Pat each cutlet dry with paper towels, then season both sides generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
    2. Heat 1 tablespoon each of the oil and butter in a large skillet or sauté pan (not nonstick) over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and sizzling. Lay half the cutlets in the skillet and sauté, without moving, until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary so the cutlets are browning, not burning. Flip the cutlets (tongs work well here) and sauté until golden brown on the second side and just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Move the cooked cutlets to a large serving platter and tent with foil. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining cutlets.
    3. For the sauce: If there is less than a tablespoon or so of fat left in the pan, add a thin pat of butter to the center of the pan. Add the shallot and place the pan back over medium heat. Sauté, stirring often, until the shallot is fragrant and softened, about a minute. Add the stock or broth and bring to a brisk simmer, raising the heat as needed. Cook until the liquid is reduced to approximately ⅓ cup, about 3 to 4 minutes. While the sauce is reducing, use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Stir in all but 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice, the capers, and any juices that have collected around the cooked chicken. Simmer until reduced back down to about ⅓ cup, another minute or two. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk or stir in the cold butter until it melts and thickens the sauce. Stir in the parsley and the remaining 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve promptly with hot buttered noodles. Serves 4.

Chicken Cutlets with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Sauce
¼ cup (60 grams) distilled white vinegar
¼ cup (50 grams) brown sugar
2 tablespoons (35 grams) tamari or soy sauce
½ teaspoon fish sauce or anchovy paste
1½ tablespoons minced or pressed garlic (from 2 or 3 large cloves)
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (a Microplane works well for this job)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 medium scallions, including the tender green parts, sliced thin on the bias

    1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, brown sugar, tamari or soy sauce, and fish sauce or anchovy paste in a small bowl.
    2. Combine the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes on a cutting board, and mince a little more with a chef's knife to break the pepper flakes into smaller pieces.
    3. Follow the recipe for Chicken Piccata through step 2.
    4. For the sauce:  If there is less than a tablespoon or so of fat left in the pan, add a teaspoon or two of oil to the center of the pan. Add the garlic mixture and place the pan back over medium heat. Sauté until softened, about 30 to 60 seconds. Whisk the vinegar mixture to recombine, then stir into the garlic mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook briefly until the mixture thickens slightly, a minute or less. While the sauce is reducing, use a wooden spoon to quickly scrape up the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Pour the sauce over the chicken, then scatter the sliced scallions over the top. Serve promptly over white or brown rice. Serves 4.

Chicken Cutlets with Brandied Cream Sauce

Sauce
1 small shallot, minced (2 to 3 tablespoons)
¾ cup real chicken stock or low-sodium vegetable broth
¼ cup brandy, plus 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon (5 grams) Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives (you can substitute parsley)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

    1. Follow the recipe for Chicken Piccata through step 2.
    2. For the sauce:  If there is less than a tablespoon or so of fat left in the pan, add a thin pat of butter to the center of the pan. Add the shallot and place the pan back over medium heat. Sauté, stirring often, until the shallot is fragrant and softened, about a minute. Add the stock or broth and then the ¼ cup brandy, and bring to a brisk simmer, raising the heat as needed.  Cook until the liquid is reduced to approximately ⅓ cup, about 4 to 5 minutes. While the sauce is reducing, use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the heavy cream and any juices that have collected around the cooked chicken and simmer until thickened, another 30 to 60 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk or stir in the mustard, chives, lemon juice, and remaining 1 tablespoon brandy. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve promptly with hot buttered noodles. Serves 4.