Chicken Piccata Salad and a Weekend of Newfies

I often receive personal e-mails from readers of the blog, with compliments or questions, but I got a chuckle out of a recent e-mail from a woman in British Columbia, Canada. Apparently, she came across my blog after Googling Newf, and landed on my post for Newfie Tongues. She continued reading and figured out my blog’s name, and my adaptation of Beavertails pastries into Newfie Tongues doughnuts, relates to Newfoundland dogs. After explaining to me, in a very nice way, the nicknames Newfie, Newf, and Newfs can leave Newfoundlanders (natives or inhabitants of Newfoundland, Canada) feeling a bit testy, she concluded with "...Anyway, just thought I'd give you a heads up on that bit of info, in case you find an irate Newfoundlander reaming you out on your blog one day!" She also sent me a list of Newfoundland words and phrases, with translations, in case I decide to visit Newfoundland.

I had no idea Newfie and Newf are considered derogatory terms by some Newfoundlanders, but assure you my use of these nicknames relates only to my love of Newfoundland dogs and not to the fine people of Newfoundland, Canada.

With that said, we spent this past weekend enjoying all things Newfie! On Friday, we took Dooley to the Newfoundland Regional Specialty show in Del Mar to watch the show; we spent most of Saturday giving him a nice bath and brushing; and on Sunday, we went to visit 10-week old Newfie puppies. After three days of Newfs, I smelled like a Newf, and looked like I had been hauled through a knot hole (Newfoundland phrase for looking worn out and tired). Had to throw that one in ;-)

Despite having little time left for cooking and blogging, I did manage to prepare a fabulous Chicken Piccata Salad. At first, I planned on Chicken Picatta with some steamed broccoli on the side, but I ended up making an adaptation of my Salmon, Arugula and Couscous Salad.

Enjoy the Newfie photos, and try the salad...not a bad bit nice (it's beautiful) and tasty.

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Chicken Piccata Salad
Serves 2 as a main course

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
½ cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Additional lemon slices for garnish

5 ounces baby arugula (or a mix of baby arugula and spinach)
1 cup cooked couscous
12 grape tomatoes
Oil and Vinegar dressing prepared with 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon vinegar (I used a Tuscan Herb-flavored olive oil and sherry vinegar), seasoned with salt and pepper

Preparation:

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/2-inch thick. Season both sides with salt and pepper, dredge in flour, shake off excess, and transfer to a plate.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add chicken breasts and cook for 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Transfer chicken breasts from the pan to a clean plate.

Increase the heat to medium-high under the satue pan, and add the lemon juice, white wine, chicken stock and capers. Bring to a boil, scraping up the brown bits from the pan, lower heat back to medium, and allow the liquid to reduce by half. Return the chicken breasts to the pan, spoon some of the sauce over them, and keep the pan over low heat while you prepare the salad.

Lightly toss the baby arugula, couscous, and grape tomatoes with oil and vinegar dressing, and divide the salad between two plates. Transfer a chicken breast to each salad plate, and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with a few slices of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.