Rosemary Lemon Scented Chicken Kebabs

When I think of summer, I think light, fresh, flavorful and easy. No one wants to spend too much time in a kitchen. The fresh and aromatic flavor of the rosemary mixed with a zesty lemony flavor just creates a wonderful explosion on my taste buds.

Photography by Robert Demetrius

These are the ingredients you will need for the kebabs:

4 chicken breasts, weighing about 2 pounds

16 cherry tomatoes

½ a red onion, cut in half then cut in quarters

1 green sweet pepper, cut into 16 pieces

8 12-inch bamboo skewers, which should be soaked for an hour before use

1 lemon cut in wedges

olive oil for drizzling

For the marinade:

1/3 cup of olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

4 cloves garlic minced

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

Chicken Breast Cut in Pieces

Start by cutting the chicken breast in 1½-inch pieces. I made sure I got 24 pieces so that each skewer would have 4 pieces of juicy chicken. 

Olive Oil, Lemon Zest, Lemon Juice, Garlic, Rosemary, Salt and Pepper

Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and season with 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, zest of 1 lemon, 4 cloves of garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, 1/3 cup of olive oil and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Make sure that all pieces are well covered with the marinade.

Chicken Pieces Well Covered with Marinade

Marinate the chicken pieces for 3½ hours, so that the flavors of the rosemary, lemon and garlic are well infused into the meat. Toss the marinating chicken pieces again half way through.

An hour before assembling the kebabs, soak the bamboo skewers in water. This can be debated, whether to soak or not, but I tend to soak my bamboo skewers, I find the meat doesn’t take on the woody taste of the skewer.

About 15 minutes before use, take the marinating chicken out of the fridge just to take the chill off.

Cutting Red Onion in Quarters

Rinse the cherry tomatoes and pat them dry. Cut half of the onion, lengthwise in half again, then cut in quarters so you have 8 quarters.

Sweet Peppers

Cut the green sweet pepper in 1 inch pieces.

Assembly Line of Sweet Peppers and Tomatoes

Assemble your tomatoes, sweet peppers, onions and chicken in a line so that it’s easy to skew.

Preheat oven to 500°Fahrenheit.

Brushing Remaining Marinade on the Kebabs

Drizzle olive oil on an aluminum foil lined sheet. You can assemble the kebab they way you would like, I chose to start with the onions, then a piece of chicken, a piece of green sweet pepper, then another piece of chicken, a cherry tomato, then a piece of chicken, repeating the process, till each skewer is finished. Place the kebabs on the sheet and brush the remaining marinade on the entire skewer so that the vegetables get the entire juicy flavor as well.

Bake for 7 minutes on either side and then a final 1 minute on high broil so it gets a beautiful color.

Drizzling Kebabs with Olive Oil

Cut a lemon in quarter wedges. Plate 2 skewers on each plate with a wedge of lemon. Just before you dig in, squeeze some lemon juice on the kebabs and drizzle with olive oil and enjoy immediately. This serves for 4. Voilà. The chicken will be nice and juicy. If you have any leftovers, it can be served cold over a tossed salad.

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Veal Scaloppini with Artichokes and Capers

Veal scaloppini is a thin, boneless slice of veal, taken from the leg, which cooks very quickly. To this dish I have added artichokes and capers. Capers add a salty, olive like flavor to the dish. Lemon juice offers a tangy kick.

Photography by Robert Demetrius

For the veal scaloppini you will need:

1 pound veal scaloppini, 8 pieces

½ cup flour, for dredging

5 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons capers

4 artichokes cut in quarters

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2/3 cup white wine

4 tablespoons butter

¾ teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

For the spinach, you will need:

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt & pepper

This dish is another quick one, so I like to prepare all my ingredients beforehand.

Place a large skillet and a large pot on the burner. The skillet will be used for the scaloppini and the pot is used for the spinach. When doing spinach, I like to use a large pot because it’s so much easier to toss.

Take the veal out of the fridge about 10 minutes before seasoning, just to take off the chill.

Lemons, Capers and Artichokes

Mince 4 cloves of garlic and juice a lemon so that the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice are readily available. I used canned artichokes that were already quartered. Just make sure that they are properly drained because we don’t need any brine in our dish. If you have whole artichokes, just quarter them. Make sure that the 4 tablespoons of pickled capers are also well drained. Then measure 2/3 cups of white wine. A dry wine would work best with this dish.

Coating Veal Scaloppini with Flour

Start by seasoning the veal with ½ teaspoon salt and ground black pepper. In a shallow bowl or plate, mix ½ cup of flour and ¼ teaspoon of salt to dredge the scaloppinis. 

Shaking off Excess Flour

After coating each scaloppini, shake off the excess flour.

Placing Flour Coated Scaloppini in the Skillet

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once nice and warm, pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet, making sure that it’s nice and hot, before adding the scaloppinis coated in flour. 

Make sure not to put all the pieces in at one time. Depending on the size of the scaloppinis you may have to do it in two batches. You don’t want the meat layering on top of each other because you want the pieces of meat to brown evenly on each side. 

Browning Scaloppinis

Brown each side for about a minute each. Once the first batch is done, remove from the skillet and start on the second batch. Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet once you have started the second batch. 

Scaloppini

Once the second batch is done, remove from the skillet.

Garlic, Artichokes, Capers, White Wine and Lemons

Turn the heat down to medium low, adding the minced garlic, lemon juice, capers, artichokes and dry white wine and simmer for about 1½ minutes before returning the meat back into the skillet, making sure that it’s nicely tucked underneath the artichokes, adding 4 tablespoons of butter, so that the sauce can reduce and thicken. 

Veal Scaloppini with Artichokes, Capers, White Wine and Lemon Juice

Adding Butter to the Dish

Wilting Spinach

As the sauce is being reduced, start heating the pot, which is already on the burner with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once heated, toss in 2 bags of spinach or 18 ounces and continue to toss until wilted. Season with salt and ground pepper.

Not a lot of seasoning is needed for the spinach, as the scaloppini is already so flavorful. The meat and sauce should be finished and ready to be plated.

Veal Scaloppini with Artichokes and Capers

Take a ¼ of the spinach and plate, and then place 2 scaloppinis on top of the spinach and dress with 4 artichoke quarters and sauce. Voilà! Here is another easy yet interesting dish. Top it off with a glass of white wine. Serves 4. Enjoy!

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Baby Arugula, Cherry Tomatoes, Pine Nuts and Pancetta Salad with Warm Goat Cheese

Baby arugula, tossed with cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, crispy bits of pancetta and lemony vinaigrette. I like to call it a sunny, summery salad with a composition of textures and flavors…

Baby arugula has a tiny peppery bite, not as sharp as the regular arugula, the juicy tangy taste of the cherry tomatoes when they burst on your tongue and the creamy, buttery, lightly toasted pine-nuts, the salty but crisp pancetta bits, then a bang of summer hits you with the lemon vinaigrette. Place the golden brown slices of goat cheese on top of the baby arugula salad and there is an elegant yet simple meal. Why not grill a nice piece of snapper or salmon and serve along side the salad? Throw in a crusty piece of french bread and a glass of white wine...hmmm, now that’s a good meal!

Photography by Heaven on Hearth

Baby Arugula, Cherry Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad

4-ounce bag of baby arugula

¼ cup (2 ounces) pine nuts, toasted over low heat for about 2 ½ minutes. The heat brings out the buttery, creamy, nutty flavor and smell.

¼ cup breadcrumbs with finely chopped parsley, to give the coating a bit of color and texture.

2 slices (4 ounces), ¼ inch thick each of pancetta, diced, then sautéed until nice and crispy in the frying pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes. No oil is required as the pancetta has enough fat. Once done, place on a paper towel so that the excess oil is absorbed. If pancetta is not available, bacon can do the trick just as well.

16 cherry tomatoes or ¾ cup, halved.

For the vinaigrette
1 garlic clove, finely grated

½ teaspoon of lemon zest

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

a pinch of salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Mix the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper together first, then add the olive oil until you have an emulsion.
I have to admit, I love my dressing more on the tangy and sour side.

4-ounce roll of chèvre (soft goat cheese) cut in ¾ inch slices

1 egg, slightly beaten

a pinch of salt for the egg

1 cup of bread crumbs, I like a lot to work with, and a handful of parsley, which you need to chop finely or chunky if you wish, that a personal preference

3 tablespoons of olive oil

In a shallow bowl, beat the egg, adding a pinch of salt. In another bowl, pour the breadcrumbs and mix in the parsley. Set the bowls side by side so it’s easier to work with. Dip the pieces of chèvre into the beaten egg, then coat liberally with the breadcrumb mixture. In a heated nonstick skillet, pour the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, fry gently for about 1-½ minutes, about 30 – 40 seconds on each side or until golden brown.

Once done, toss all the salad ingredients together, vinaigrette being the last, then serve on a plate and put 1 to 2 slices of the golden chèvre on top. Voila! How easy was that?

Don’t be afraid of using a variety of leaves and experimenting with anything that’s in your fridge or pantry. Bring a beautiful summer day into your home everyday with an easy salad.

Have fun with your scrumptious salads and remember, always try to make them your own!

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