Cool Chicken Braciole Messinese

Food Category: Dinner
Source: Simple Italian Food by Mario Batali
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 1/4 Cup Pine Nuts
1/2 Cup Freshly Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
1 Tsp. grated Nutmeg
4 Chicken Leg quarters, butterflied open and bones removed (I used chicken breast flattened with a frying pan ... great for winning arguments and flattening meat)
Salt & Pepper
2 Cups chopped fresh Tomatoes (I used cans of diced tomatoes)
1/4 Cup small black olives, such as Nicoise (any fancy black olive will due)
2 TB Capers, rinsed and drained
3 TB extra-virgin olive oil
2TB Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tsp. hot red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
2 TB dried currants (if you don't have any raisins will due)

Instructions:

Preaheat the oven to 450 Degrees

In a mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the pine nuts, the pecorino, and the nutmeg. Place the chicken legs skin side down on a cutting board and season with salt and pepper. Divide the pine nut mixture among the chicken legs, filling them as full as possible. Fold the meat up and around the mixture and tie tightly with butcher's twine. Place the legs in a small roasting pan, flap side down. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until browned and crispy and cooked through. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

In a medium bowl mix the chopped tomatoes, olives, capers, olive oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and currants. Place 1 piece of chicken on each plate and remove butcher's twine. Season the sauce with sald and pepper and spoon some over each piece of chicken and serv.

Nutritional Facts:

Rating (1-10): 9

This would be a great summer meal. I didn't have capers when I made this and I think that it would probably have tasted better had there been some.

Irish Soda Bread

Food Category: Bread
Source: www.foodnetwork.com
Prep Time: 30 Min.
Cook Time: 1 hour
Servings: 15-20 (depends on how thick you cut the slices)
Special Utensils: Baking pan

Ingredients:

1/2 cup currants
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons fine salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or Buttermilk substitute)

Instructions:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter a baking sheet.
Put the currants in a medium bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for 15 minutes and drain.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cake flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and, using your hands, work it into flour mixture, until it is about the size of small peas. Stir in the currants.
Add the buttermilk and stir with a spatula, just until the flour is moistened and comes together in a shaggy dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead lightly until just smooth, about 1 minute. Form the dough into a ball and place on the center of the prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife cut a 1/4-inch-deep "X" into the top of the dough to let the fairies out. Bake until well browned and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped lightly with your knuckles, about 1 hour.
Transfer the bread to a rack and let cool completely before serving.

Nutritional Facts (per loaf):
3335 Calories
83.4 g Protein
622.1 g Carb
22.6 g Fiber
55.1 g Fat
18.1 g Sat. Fat
117.8 g Sugar
64 mg Cholesterol
420.4 mg Sodium
602.8 mg Calcium

Rating (1-10): 10