A Conscious Feast by Nicole Aloni

Tarragon & Kalamata Olives, photo Nicole

I rarely eat meat these days. So when I do, it’s worth the effort to buy the best. And to me that means humanely raised, organic, as close to natural as possible, like that available in Seattle from Thundering Hooves.

I made this recipe (adapted from Secrets From a Caterer’s Kitchen) for a potluck at a friend’s house. We do this every Sunday and ususally come up with some pretty terrific impromptu combinations. (Although there was the meal where each dish had a powerfully salty component—proscuitto, Parmesan, pickled lemons, Kalamata olives, smoked salmon. Holy Salt Lick! I skipped the wine and sucked down an entire water pitcher before dinner was over.)

I whipped this dish up in about 45 minutes. Note: That time would be extended by about 2 hours if you chose to take the uber hands-on step of preparing all of these artichoke hearts from scratch; You’d be cooking up about 20 chokes to get this many hearts! In my life, that’s about as likely as whipping up a batch of puff pastry for dessert.  There’s homemade and then there’s masochistic.

This recipe has been an entertaining standby of mine for years. It’s light, easy, and satisfying.

EASE OF PREPARATION: A snap

BEVERAGE TO ACCOMPANY: A New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

Makes 8 servings

• 1 1/2 c. beef broth
• 2 3/4 c. chicken broth
• 2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs
• 3 T. balsamic vinegar
• 2 (14 1/2 oz) cans artichoke hearts, water packed (Trader Joe’s are good)
• 2 T. unsalted butter
• 1/3 c. minced shallots
• 3 T Dijon mustard
• 4 1/2 oz. pitted kalamata or Nicoise olives
• 3 T. chopped fresh tarrgon
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 6 c. cooked cous cous, farro or fettucine
• 2/3 c. chopped Italian parsley

Garnish: 2 T. lemon zest, 1/4 c. minced chives

1. Combine beef and chicken broths in a heavy saucepan over high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the liquids by half (to about 2 cups) and set aside.


the mighty shallot

2. In a saute pan, over medium heat, saute the shallots in the butter until clear, about 5 -7 minutes.  Add the reduced stocks, mustard and vinegar to the hot pan and simmer gently for 5-10 minutes. Make sure to whisk together well. Add quartered artichokes to this sauce along with the olives, black pepper, and tarragon and continue to simmer gently 5 minutes. Set aside (this could be done up to a day ahead).


Adding the final ingredients to the sauce, Nicole

3. Drizzle chicken pieces with olive oil and season with black pepper.  Cook chicken on a hot grill (or grill pan) for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Let rest off the heat for a minute, then slice into slender strips and add into warm sauce. Toss to mix.
4. Meanwhile, cook the cous cous, farro or pasta according to directions.

Finished dish on pasta

TO SERVE

• Toss the  the starch of your choice with the parsley.  Top with chicken in sauce and garnish the top with lemon zest and chives.