The Lion King and a new dish!

So this past Tuesday night (July 18, 2007), Butch, Shane and I went to the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center (Belk Theater) to see the Musical The Lion King. The music, dance, stage decor, props, characters, dress, and all held me captivated from the opening scenes. Some of the music and performance literally brought tears to my eyes and goosebumps all over my body. Even though I knew the story well, I could not have asked for more. This was an awesome experience! (It was also part of my birthday and anniversary present, and well worth it! I think I want tickets to a musical or play EVERY year for the birthday/anniversary!) (Note: since Mother's Day, my birthday, and our anniversary are so close, we usually cover all three in one celebration.)

Before going into the theater we decided to eat dinner. We went to Bucca di Peppo's simply because we wanted to eat somewhere good that wouldn't have a long wait. We figured all the restaurants in Charlotte near the theater would be filled (since all the shows were sell-outs) and so picked this restaurant in PIneville. We ordered the Chicken Saltimbocca and a sampler of Pasta dishes. These are served family style, so we figured we'd all get plenty to eat, which we did. So the evening was a huge success!

Anyway, I decided I loved the Chicken Saltimbocca, and so I searched the Internet for a recipe. We found one, bought all the ingredients, and cooked it tonight. It was wonderful, so I thought I'd share the recipe here, and then tell you what I will do next time...

Chicken Saltimbocca

Three 6 oz. Chicken breasts
Prosciutto ham thin slices
1 T. Fresh sage, chopped
3 oz. Olive Oil
1 oz. flour all-purpose
5 oz. Artichoke hearts, quartered
1/2 oz. Capers
4 oz. White wine
2 oz. Fresh lemon juice
2 oz. Heavy cream
1 T. Butter
1 tsp Salt

Lightly salt 3 chicken breasts. Sprinkle evenly with chopped sage. Place sliced prosciutto on top the chicken and pound it into the breast until the thickness of the chicken reaches 3/8-inch. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Lightly flour chicken pressed with prosciutto. Place in heated oil, prosciutto side down. Brown one side, turn and brown the other side. Drain off excess oil, deglaze with 4 ounces of white wine, add artichokes, fresh lemon juice, cream, butter and cook until sauce is thickened. On a large platter, place chicken breasts topped with reduced sauce and garnish with capers. Serves 3.

Next time, I will fillet the chicken breasts. It took too long to get the chicken done. The recipe calls for the chicken to be 3/8 inch thick, but I couldn't get it to thin down, even though the prosciutto had to be "beaten" into the chicken. If I had filleted the chicken, cooking time would have been cut in half. Second, if I use a fresh artichoke again, i will cook it first, so it's already soft and done. When I fixed it tonight, the artichoke was raw and tough, and we wound up pushing it aside. Hind sight is always 20/20! Overall though the dish was superb, and it was as if we were eating a meal served straight from that restaurant!

One last thought: We need a cork screw. Butch and I do not drink wine at home ever (or out for that matter.) The recipe called for white wine, so I bought the smallest, cheapest bottle I could get at the grocery store. We wound up taking a knife and pushing the cork down in the bottle so that we could pour the 4 ounces needed to fix this dish. How funny! It is definitely a recipe I want to try again though.