The Sun Burns Cold

So last month I did a post on an easily whipped up way to make some tasty chicken and shrimp piccata. I was going to make it again tonight, but decided on a “remix version” that was still really easy and tasted fucking killer.

Basically, what I made was a scampi sauce tweaked a bit to make it a little thicker and creamier. There’s probably some exact fucking name for it, I don’t know. It boils down to a variation on the simple lemon/butter/wine method I learned via osmosis from Chef B. at work-which now is about my favorite easy way to cook chicken unless I’m tossing carcass directly on an outdoor grill.

At any rate, it’s still simple and easy peasy even though there’s a couple additional things than with the piccata. It’s worth it though, as it comes out tasting more complex.

So, this is what all goes into it: a nice pile of shrimp. I cleaned up and peeled about twelve 16/20 size, but it all depends on how hungry you are. I cooked extra for my wife, but she was still full from lunch so I eated them all. A chicken breast, cubed. One lemon. Some oil. I suppose you could use any oil, but I prefer extra virgin olive oil cause of the flavor thing-and due to the fact that the shit costs so much I’m less likely to use too much. Seriously, when I cook with vegetable oil I’m prone to just dump that shit in the pan and worry bout pouring off the excess later. With olive oil I just use a little, cause I act like I’m cooking with liquid fucking gold or something. I’m mental like that.

Also you’re going to need some ground or minced garlic, heavy cream, some white wine, basil, oregano and flour. The garlic, I used about three tablespoons of store bought minced garlic. The heavy cream, you don’t really need a whole lot. Less than a half pint. The white wine I don’t really know-I mean, probably a little less than a half cup. I just throw some of that shit in there. The basil and oregano are really to taste-I just used a big pinch of each. And the flour is just a thickener, though I suppose you could use corn starch just as well, but I used a little flour. Not much, probably a teaspoon and  a half. Oh, and butter. Fuck, how could I almost forget that? I used a little less than a half stick of butter total.

Next you’re going to want to saute up the garlic in a little oil. That shit will darken quick and burn, so don’t keep steady blasting it with a lot of heat. While the garlic is cooking you can also fire your shrimp and chicken with some oil and butter.

I do everything in separate pans first, each part is cooked before I add them together and make the sauce right in there. So, like, I’ll take the shrimp and garlic and throw them in with the chicken, drain off some (not all) of the oil, add the wine, oregano and basil, squeeze in two lemon halves, stir that motherfucker around-sprinkle in some flour, then give it a good shot of heavy cream and stir it through.

You’ll know how much cream to use by how much it lightens when you hit it-if it’s brown, you want to use more cream, obviously. I didn’t make mine super light because I didn’t want the sauce thin. However, no matter how light you want to make it (and it will be lighter if you don’t add the flour) it’s still a good idea to let everything cook with the sauce, covered, for at least a good seven minutes with the heat lowered before you serve it. If the sauce comes out too thick, add a little more wine. Too thin, add a pinch more flour, stir, and let the some of the excess liquid cook off.

While I had everything simmering I sauteed up some spinach with oil, salt, pepper and a tiny splash of balsamic vinegar. When it was all done I tossed it all on a plate and that was that.