So it was the "other half's" birthday. As per his request, we had chicken saltimbocca, wild rice pilaf, an herb salad, and chocolate pudding with Cointreau (recipe posted on July 29). The saltimbocca is kind of a fancy staple in our house.
I take a half boneless skinless chicken breast, open it up like a book, and then separate the 2 halves. I then pound both pieces very thin, lay a piece or 2 of prosciutto on each, sprinkle some chopped fresh sage over the prosciutto, and fold the pieces in half. Then give it a light salt-and-peppering, flour it well, dip in egg, and coat with bread crumbs. This gets sautéed in a butter/ EVOO combo.
The sauce is chopped shallots sautéed in EVOO, with a little white wine and chicken stock added and reduced, a splash of Marsala or Medeira, about 2 tablespoons of duxelles (or fresh mushrooms if you happen to have them), and finished with a little cream or sour cream.
If youre a sage fanatic, like me, you can add some chopped sage to the sauce. We had this with a wonderful Robert Young Scion Cabernet... a gift from a dear friend. Now I'm generally not a Cab lover, but WOW!
The pilaf couldn't be easier: combine cooked wild rice with some cooked orzo (about 4 parts rice to 1 part pasta), a shallot or 2 chopped and sautéed in butter, and a bit of chicken stock to moisten while you reheat it. It's great plain, but an addition of herbs is always welcome.
