Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

Bite-sized morsels of chicken and lightly crunchy broccoli pieces tossed in a salty and sweet stir fry sauce makes for a dinner that tastes like take-out, but is actually quite quick and easy.

We eat a lot of chicken and broccoli around here, so it only makes sense that we make a chicken and broccoli stir fry. In fact, the Tofu and Broccoli Stir Fry is very much based on this recipe, we just use tofu instead of chicken for meatless meals.

The chicken is lightly battered in cornstarch, which helps to thicken the sauce once it’s added. The sauce is initially just 3 ingredients whisked together: broth, soy sauce, and sugar. Then, the chicken is cooked up, some garlic and ginger are added for aroma, and finally, the sauce. The broccoli is added in just at the very end, and steams up in 2-3 minutes. Tada! Simple enough for all but the busiest of evenings, and delicious to boot.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe from my Mama

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Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Serves about 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup / 237g vegetable or chicken broth

• 3 Tbsp / 42g soy sauce

• 2 tsp / 10g sugar

• 1lb / 454g chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized piece

• 2 Tbsp / 15g cornstarch

• oil, for pan

• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 cups broccoli florets

• Red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, sliced green onions, lime wedges, fresh mint, etc. for topping, as desired

Directions:

1. Combine broth, soy sauce, and sugar; set aside.

2. Toss chicken with cornstarch.

3. Generously drizzle an iron skillet or other large pan with oil; place over medium-high heat.

4. Add chicken, stirring frequently, until internal temperature reaches 165°F / 74°C, about 3-5 minutes.

5. Reduce heat to low; add ginger and garlic; stir, until fragrant and sizzling, about a minute.

6. Add in broth mixture and stir occasionally, until starting to simmer.

7. Add in broccoli, cover, and let sit for 2 minutes for “al dente” broccoli, or a couple more minutes for softer broccoli.

8. Remove from heat. Serve over rice with desired garnishes.

Yield 3-4

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

15 Min

Cook time

15 Min

Total time

30 Min

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Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Bite-sized morsels of chicken and lightly crunchy broccoli pieces tossed in a salty and sweet stir fry sauce makes for a quick and easy dinner that tastes like take-out!

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1 cup / 237g vegetable or chicken broth
• 3 Tbsp / 42g soy sauce
• 2 tsp / 10g sugar
• 1lb / 454g chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized piece
• 2 Tbsp / 15g cornstarch
• oil, for pan
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• Red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, sliced green onions, lime wedges, fresh mint, etc. for topping, as desired

Instructions

1. Combine broth, soy sauce, and sugar; set aside.
2. Toss chicken with cornstarch.
3. Generously drizzle an iron skillet or other large pan with oil; place over medium-high heat.
4. Add chicken, stirring frequently, until internal temperature reaches 165°F / 74°C, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to low; add ginger and garlic; stir, until fragrant and sizzling, about a minute.
6. Add in broth mixture and stir occasionally, until starting to simmer.
7. Add in broccoli, cover, and let sit for 2 minutes for “al dente” broccoli, or a couple more minutes for softer broccoli.
8. Remove from heat. Serve over rice with desired garnishes.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

286.74

Fat

9.11 g

Sat. Fat

1.3 g

Carbs

13.21 g

Fiber

2.07 g

Net carbs

11.14 g

Sugar

1.77 g

Protein

36.45 g

Sodium

1503.43 mg

Cholesterol

98.34 mg

Nutritional information is approximate, based on 1 serving of 3.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2024/7/3/chicken-and-broccoli-stir-fry

chicken stir fry, better than take-out, broccoli stir fry, sweet and sour stir fry, healthy stir fry

dinner

Asian

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Taco Salad

Taco salad is a classic in my family. Seasoned beef, 2 kinds of beans, cheese, tomatoes, onion, and enough lettuce to be able to call this a salad, all tossed in creamy homemade thousand island dressing. It’s delicious.

I’m not sure who was the original genius to decide to turn a taco into a salad and use a mayonnaise and ketchup based dressing, but it works, and it works so well. I highly recommend you make your own thousand island dressing! It’s very easy.

My earliest memories of this salad were probably because it was one of my brother’s favorite meal requests. Over the years it has slowly morphed into the version we make today, which is a bit more wholesome than the original. Where a bag of Doritos used to be used, we now use tortilla chips. Store-bought thousand island dressing has been replaced with this much more flavorful homemade (7 ingredient) thousand island dressing. A packet of taco seasoning has been replaced with our own mix of spices. Sometimes we make it with beef, sometimes we keep it vegetarian for a lighter meal. All in all, we’ve moved this away from processed foods in favor of using more whole foods, and it’s only better for it. What used to be my brother’s taco salad, has become everyone’s favorite taco salad.

Listed below is more or less the quantities of ingredients we use, but this is one of those recipes where you can measure with your heart! In fact, my mom’s recipe doesn’t even list quantities on some things because we just add as much as we want. Want less beans? Use 1 can instead of 2. Love tomatoes? Use more than 2! Is cheese your love language? Use as much as you want! You get the idea, it’s very easy to adjust according to your tastes.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe from my mama

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Taco Salad

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

Ingredients:

• 2 heads of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

• 1 lb ground beef, cooked with 1 packet taco seasoning

• 2 medium tomatoes, diced

• 1 small onion, diced small

• 1 (14.5oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 (14.5oz) can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 1/2 cups Thousand Island Dressing, or to taste, recipe here

• 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

• 4 oz tortilla chips or Doritos, lightly crushed

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, toss lettuce, beef, tomatoes, onion, pinto and black beans together.

2. Just before serving, add dressing and toss to combine. Lightly toss in cheese and chips.

3. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Jenny’s Notes:

• Shredded chicken is also delicious in this instead of beef.

• This salad is also wonderful served without meat, as a vegetarian dish.

• Ingredient quantities are very much customizable to your liking.

• If you anticipate having leftovers, only toss chips into the amount you think will be eaten. You can always add more chips, but leftovers with chips get soggy.

Yield 6-8

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

20 Min

Total time

20 Min

Print

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Taco Salad

Romaine lettuce, taco seasoned beef, pinto and black beans, cheese, tomato, onion, and chips all tossed together in a creamy homemade Thousand Island Dressing.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 2 heads of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1 lb ground beef, cooked with 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 small onion, diced small
• 1 (14.5oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5oz) can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups Thousand Island Dressing, or to taste, recipe here
• 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 oz tortilla chips, lightly crushed

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, toss lettuce, beef, tomatoes, onion, pinto and black beans together.
2. Just before serving, add dressing and toss to combine. Lightly toss in cheese and chips.
3. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

• Shredded chicken is also delicious in this instead of beef.
• This salad is also wonderful served without meat, as a vegetarian dish.
• Ingredient quantities are very much customizable to your liking.
• If you anticipate having leftovers, only toss chips into the amount you think will be eaten. You can always add more chips, but leftovers with chips get soggy.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

594.37

Fat

30.01 g

Sat. Fat

8.4 g

Carbs

73.09 g

Fiber

21.71 g

Net carbs

51.38 g

Sugar

21.54 g

Protein

16.06 g

Sodium

1152.99 mg

Cholesterol

40.54 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 8 servings, including beef and homemade dressing.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2024/8/12/taco-salad

best ever taco salad, vegetarian, summer recipe, side salad, healthy taco salad

dinner

American

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Chicken Fricassée

Last Updated September 7, 2024

Chicken fricassée is a French chicken stew, consisting of browned chicken and vegetables in a creamy mushroom sauce.

It starts with a simple pan fry of chicken in a skillet with butter, until they’re nice and brown. The chicken is removed from the pan so you can cook onions, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, and a bit of thyme. Flour, chicken broth, and white wine are added to make a slightly thick, hearty sauce. Finally, cream (or milk if you prefer a lighter or less expensive version) and a splash of lemon juice are added at the end to turn the sauce into a creamy, velvety wonder, perfect for serving over mashed potatoes.

The whole thing can be cooked on the stove or it can also be finished in the oven. It goes a little quicker on the stove, my preferred version. My mom, on the other hand, prefers to finish hers in the oven. She likes the hands-free time while it’s in the oven to clean up the kitchen, which is also useful!

This makes for a convenient rotation to weeknight dinners since most of the ingredients I always have on hand, save for the mushrooms. This can be made without the mushrooms if you so prefer, but honestly it’s one of my favorite parts so I make sure to add mushrooms to my grocery list!

I’m not normally a meat, carrot, and potato kind of girl, but ever since I first made this a few years ago it’s become a part of our regular dinner rotation, it’s so delicious and satisfying.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from The Toasty Kitchen

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Chicken Fricassée

Serves about 4

Ingredients:

Chicken fricassée over mashed potatoes

• 2 Tbsp / 28g butter

• 1 lb / 454g uncooked chicken breasts

• 2-3 carrots, sliced into half moons

• 1 onion, diced medium

• 8 oz / 227g white button mushrooms, sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 2 Tbsp / 15g flour

• 1/2 cup / 119g dry white wine

• 1 cup / 237g chicken broth

• 1/2 cup / 119g heavy cream, half & half, or milk

• 2 Tbsp / 28g fresh lemon juice

• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Take the chicken breasts and lay them on a cutting board. Slice each chicken breast horizontally into two thinner breasts, slicing parallel to the cutting board. It’s like butterflying, but cut all the way through so you have two separate pieces.

2. Heat the butter in a large pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add all the pieces of chicken, and cook for a few minutes on each side until internal temperature reaches 165° / 74°C. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

3. Add carrots and onion to hot pan and cook several minutes, until starting to soften.

4. Add mushrooms and cook for another few minutes, until mushrooms are cooked and have mostly released their water.

5. Add garlic and thyme, cook for just another minute.

6. Add flour and stir to coat all vegetables, cook another minute or so.

7. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan.

8. When the wine is almost evaporated, add the chicken broth; stir until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened.

9. Remove pan from heat and stir in cream and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper to taste.

10. Add chicken breasts back into sauce; serve. Goes great with mashed potatoes.

Jenny’s Notes:

• Step 1 could be optional, you can keep your chicken breasts whole if you wish. I like cutting my chicken breasts into thinner pieces before cooking since a whole chicken breast is usually much bigger than a serving, and it takes longer to cook. Our butcher in Italy always cut our chicken breasts like this and I loved it, thinner pieces of meat that are done cooking in a matter of minutes.

• If you prefer, bone-in chicken (legs, thighs, etc.) can be used. Adjust cooking time accordingly to ensure chicken is cooked through (165°F / 74°C)

• I have made this before without the wine, and it was still wonderful. So if you don’t have any on hand or just prefer to cook without it, omit the wine with no worries.

• To finish this dish in the oven, you’ll want to make the whole thing in a pan that is able to go into the oven, such as a cast iron skillet. Follow recipe as written up through step 8. Add chicken back into the pan (without adding cream or lemon juice) and place in an oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C. Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly. Remove from oven and stir in cream and lemon juice.

• If you choose to finish in the oven, you can focus more on browning the chicken in the pan in step 2 rather than cooking it through, since it will be baked in the oven. Just make sure the chicken is fully cooked before you take it out of the oven at the end!

Yield 4

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

15 Min

Cook time

35 Min

Total time

50 Min

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Chicken Fricassée

French chicken stew with carrots, onion, and mushrooms in a creamy white wine sauce

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp / 28g butter
• 1 lb / 454g uncooked chicken breasts
• 2-3 carrots, sliced into half moons
• 1 onion, diced medium
• 8 oz / 227g white button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 Tbsp / 15g flour
• 1/2 cup / 119g dry white wine
• 1 cup / 237g chicken broth
• 1/2 cup / 119g heavy cream, half & half, or milk
• 2 Tbsp / 28g fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Take the chicken breasts and lay them on a cutting board. Slice each chicken breast horizontally into two thinner breasts, slicing parallel to the cutting board. It’s like butterflying, but cut all the way through so you have two separate pieces.
2. Heat the butter in a large pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add all the pieces of chicken, and cook for a few minutes on each side until internal temperature reaches 165° / 74°C. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
3. Add carrots and onion to hot pan and cook several minutes, until starting to soften.
4. Add mushrooms and cook for another few minutes, until mushrooms are cooked and have mostly released their water.
5. Add garlic and thyme, cook for just another minute.
6. Add flour and stir to coat all vegetables, cook another minute or so.
7. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan.
8. When the wine is almost evaporated, add the chicken broth; stir until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened.
9. Remove pan from heat and stir in cream and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Add chicken breasts back into sauce; serve. Goes great with mashed potatoes.

Notes

• Step 1 could be optional, you can keep your chicken breasts whole if you wish. I like cutting my chicken breasts into thinner pieces before cooking since a whole chicken breast is usually much bigger than a serving, and it takes longer to cook. Our butcher in Italy always cut our chicken breasts like this and I loved it, thinner pieces of meat that are done cooking in a matter of minutes.
• If you prefer, bone-in chicken (legs, thighs, etc.) can be used. Adjust cooking time accordingly to ensure chicken is cooked through (165°F / 74°C)
• I have made this before without the wine, and it was still wonderful. So if you don’t have any on hand or just prefer to cook without it, omit the wine with no worries.
• To finish this dish in the oven, you’ll want to make the whole thing in a pan that is able to go into the oven, such as a cast iron skillet. Follow recipe as written up through step 8. Add chicken back into the pan (without adding cream or lemon juice) and place in an oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C. Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly. Remove from oven and stir in cream and lemon juice.
• If you choose to finish in the oven, you can focus more on browning the chicken in the pan in step 2 rather than cooking it through, since it will be baked in the oven. Just make sure the chicken is fully cooked before you take it out of the oven at the end!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

304.93

Fat

12.69 g

Sat. Fat

6.48 g

Carbs

14.38 g

Fiber

2.31 g

Net carbs

12.05 g

Sugar

6.12 g

Protein

28.4 g

Cholesterol

99.61 mg

Sodium

494.26 mg

Nutritional Information is approximate. Based on 4 servings, using heavy cream

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2023/1/28/chicken-fricasse

chicken breasts, chicken stew, french chicken dish, chicken fricassée, carrots, onions, mushrooms, white wine sauce

Dinner

French

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---

Parmesan Pan-Fried Chicken

Happy quarantine day I-don’t-know-what-number! 44? 46? Regardless, I think we’re all open to new dinner ideas at this point and really looking forward to being able to go to restaurants again.

One thing that has made this quarantine a little easier is having access to yummy food and snacks, so I don’t miss going out too much. I’m thankful for a space I can make and create food, grocery stores, and for my mom who taught me so much about being in the kitchen.

But. That doesn’t mean some nights I don’t miss the ease of take out, especially the pizzeria behind my house, or being able to sit down in a nice space and then people bring you whatever you choose to eat in exchange for some money. Restaurants are so cool, you guys.

That’s where today’s Parmesan Pan-Fried Chicken comes into play. It’s easy, ready in 10-15 minutes, and so delicious. It’s no fuss, because there is no egg or flour breading. This also makes for a lighter fried chicken, just a thin, flavorful crust and not nearly as much guilt as traditional fried chicken. And less dishes to wash! All you need are some chicken breasts, bread crumbs, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and parmesan cheese, plus a frying pan with a bit of butter.

I originally stumbled across this idea when making a chicken quinoa casserole, which uses a similar breading technique with the chicken: using simply a wet chicken breast before dipping in a breadcrumb mixture instead of the more common flour and egg battering. I thought, what happens if I do the same thing, but instead of putting it in the casserole, fry it in some butter? Well, this simple, delicious chicken was the result, and I’m happy to share the recipe with you today.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to small businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

A recipe by Jenny

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Parmesan Pan-Fried Chicken

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 4 uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1.5 lbs / 680g

• 1/2 cup / 62g bread crumbs

• 1/4 cup / 25g grated parmesan cheese

• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• dash of pepper

• 2 Tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Starting with one chicken breast, lay it flay on a cutting board. Slice horizontally starting from the thicker end, to end up with two thinner pieces of chicken breast. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.

3. In a large frying pan, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Wet a chicken breast with water and press one side, then the other, into the bread crumb mixture. You can use your fingers to press on more of the mixture on areas that get missed. Place coated chicken into frying pan. Repeat with remaining chicken.

4. Cook on each side 5-7 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown. Internal temperature should read at least 165°F / 75°C. If the chicken starts to darken too quickly, lower the temperature.

Jenny’s Notes:

• If your frying pan isn’t big enough to accomodate all of the chicken, you can cook it in batches, starting with less butter, and adding more between each batch of chicken.

• Here in Italy I always buy meat from our butcher, who slices chicken breasts horizontally so they are twice as thin as the chicken breasts you get at the store. While you can choose to keep your chicken breasts whole and bread and fry them that way, keep in mind you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly to cook the chicken through.

• You can use more butter for richer fried chicken, or less, for an even lighter fried chicken.

Yield 4-6

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

5 Min

Cook time

14 Min

Total time

19 Min

Print

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Parmesan Pan-Fried Chicken

The easiest fried chicken with no egg or flour battering, just wet the chicken and dip in spiced bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Fry in butter and you have a crispy, delicious chicken ready in 15 minutes.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup / 62g bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup / 25g grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• dash of pepper
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 4 uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1.5 lbs / 680g

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
2. In a large frying pan, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Wet a chicken breast with water and press one side, then the other, into the bread crumb mixture. You can use your fingers to press on more of the mixture on areas that get missed. Place coated chicken into frying pan. Repeat with remaining chicken.
3. Cook on each side 5-7 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown. Internal temperature should read at least 165F / 75C. If the chicken starts to darken too quickly, lower the temperature.

Notes

If your frying pan isn’t big enough to accomodate all of the chicken, you can cook it in batches, starting with less butter, and adding more between each batch of chicken. Here in Italy I always buy meat from our butcher, who slices chicken breasts horizantally so they are twice as thin as the chicken breasts you get at the store. That said, I had to guess a bit at the quantity for the coating, as I’ve never made this with larger chicken breasts. I know how much I need to make for 3 thinner chicken breasts, but that’s not going to be helpful to many people. If you have leftover coating, you can store it in the fridge for up to 2 days, but I wouldn’t keep it much longer as raw chicken has touched it. You can use more butter for richer fried chicken, or less, for an even lighter fried chicken.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

337.55

Fat

12.62 g

Sat. Fat

6.01 g

Carbs

12.31 g

Fiber

0.80 g

Net carbs

11.51 g

Sugar

0.98 g

Protein

41.18 g

Sodium

506.17 mg

Cholesterol

122.64 mg

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 4 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2020/4/24/parmesan-pan-fried-chicken

chicken, pan fried, fried chicken, parmesan cheese, oregano, garlic, 15 minute dinners, quick dinners

dinner, poultry

American

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Tourte Milanese

Last Updated August 8, 2024

Tourte Milanese, also known as Tourte Milanaise.  No, the second version does not include mayonnaise.  Part of the family en croute, or encased in dough.  Who doesn't want to eat food, soup, and anything edible wrapped in flaky, buttery dough? In this case, roasted peppers, herbed scrambled eggs, cheese, spinach, and meat.

The green from the spinach, the white (ish) from the eggs, and the red from the roasted peppers is supposed to be an ode to the Italian flag. You can use whichever kind of sweet peppers you like, and as you can see from my photos, I used multi-colored peppers that time!

This tourte is a showstopper piece for sure. You will feel quite accomplished pulling this out of the oven, and taking your first bite into the explosion of hot, flaky layers, melty cheese, herbs, sweet peppers, smoky meat, and garlicky spinach. It may look intimidating, but you can adjust this recipe to how much time and effort you want to put into it. For example, you can make your own puff pastry, or you can pick it up at the store. You could roast your own peppers, or buy a jar of already roasted peppers. I enjoy making everything as home-made and from scratch as possible, but sometimes life just doesn’t allow that. 

I recommend reading through the recipe once or twice and taking a peek at my notes at the bottom to make your game plan.  For example, if you’re making your own puff pastry, that in and of itself can easily be a two day recipe, so you'll want to make that a day ahead, or way ahead, and freeze it until you have the urge to make a recipe like this.  

Want some inspiration?  Watch this fun video of Julia Child and Michel Richard making Puff Pastry and Tourte Milanese!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Tourte Milanese

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

For the Crust

• 1 lb. / 450g puff pastry, home-made or store bought

• Egg wash made from 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water

For the Eggs

• 10 eggs

• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives or green onion

• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or basil

• 2 tsp snipped fresh tarragon or fresh oregano

• salt and ground pepper, to taste

• 3 Tbsp / 42g butter

For the Rest of the Filling

• 6 large red bell peppers (or use a 16oz jar or two of roasted red peppers)

• 1 1/2 lbs / 680g spinach

• 1 Tbsp / 14g olive oil

• 1 Tbsp / 14g butter

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

• 8 oz / 225g Swiss cheese

• 8 oz / 225g smoked turkey or ham

• about 1/2 cup each of bread crumbs and shredded parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

Generously grease an 8in / 20cm springform pan.  

Make the Crust

1. Cut off 1/4 of the puff pastry, cover, and set aside.

2. Roll out the remaining pastry to roughly 1/8'‘. If working with store-bought, you may have two squares that you will have to press together at the edges as close to a square as you can for rolling out. Be sure to roll it thin enough so it will have a chance to be baked all the way through in the oven.  It should be big enough to cover the bottom and sides of your springform pan with an overhang.  Carefully press into pan, being sure to press all the way into the corners.  Cover and refrigerate.

3. Roll out the remaining 1/4 of puff pastry until it is roughly 1/8" thick. Again, you may have to cut and press together to get as close to a square as you can before rolling out. Cut out an 8 in / 20cm circle, using an 8 in / 20cm pie plate or cake tin as a template.  Place on a plate or baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate.  

Make the Eggs

1. Whisk eggs, herbs, salt and pepper together.  Melt butter in a skillet over low heat and pour in eggs.  Gently stir, continuously moving the setting eggs towards the center and allowing runny eggs to reach the bottom of the pan.  When the whole mixture has started to thicken, but still a bit runny, remove from heat and pour onto a plate. Cover and refrigerate and until ready to use.  

Roast the Peppers

Skip this step if you bought roasted red peppers.  

Method 1: Place peppers over an open flame on your stove top until blackened.  Flip and allow second side to roast.  Repeat until all peppers have been roasted.  

Method 2: Place all peppers onto a tinfoil lined sheet pan.  Place under broiler in your oven, checking every few minutes, until peppers are blackened.  Turn peppers over and roast second side.  

Once peppers have been roasted, place in an airtight container or ziploc bag for about 20 minutes.

Remove peppers and rub the skin off.  Cut out the stems and slice from top to bottom, laying them flat.  Remove seeds and trim away any inside veins.  

Place peppers on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess liquid, cover, and refrigerate.

Blanch and Sauté the Spinach

1. Bring a large amount of salted water to a boil.  Add spinach and blanch for 1 minute.  Drain in a colander and rinse in cold water to stop it from cooking.  Press the spinach to remove excess liquid.  

2. Place oil, butter, and garlic in a large frying pan over medium heat.  When garlic starts to sizzle, add blanched spinach and sauté for 3 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Remove from heat and transfer spinach to a plate lined with paper towels.  Cover and refrigerate until needed.  

Assemble the Tourte

Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C.  

Remove the pastry lined pan from the fridge, along with your eggs, peppers, spinach, cheese, and turkey/ham.  Layer your ingredients in this order, laying them flat and spreading to the edge:

1. Bread crumbs and grated parmesan, optional

2. Half of eggs

3. Half of spinach

4. Half of turkey/ham

5. Half of cheese

6. All the peppers

7. Other half of cheese

8. Other half of turkey/ham

9. Other half of spinach

10. Other half of eggs

Trim the pastry overhang to within 1 in / 2.5cm of the pan. Brush the inner side of with egg wash and fold over filling. Brush the other side with more egg wash. 

Remove the round pastry top from fridge, re-rolling if it has shrunk any. Place over the folded edges of the tourte, pressing down to seal. Brush with more egg wash. Cut a vent in the center of the dough, or use a knife to trace a design. Or, you can cut out shapes from the puff pastry scraps to decorate the top. Brush shapes with more egg wash.

Optional: Chill assembled tourte in fridge for 30 minutes or more prior to baking. It will require more baking time if chilled.

Place tourte on a tinfoil lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes - 1 hour 30 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and a deep golden brown.  

Cool for 30 minutes before releasing from pan and serving.

To reheat leftovers, place in an oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C for 20-30 minutes. 

Jenny's Notes:

The recipe above is pretty traditional, however, it can easily be adjusted to your tastes.  

No soggy bottoms here!

• Can be assembled a day ahead.  

• Store-bought puff pastry is usually pre-rolled quite thin, so as you roll it out it will get even thinner. When I made my own, and as you can see in the video of Julia Child and Michel Richard, homemade is more delicate to roll out and won’t get as thin, more like 1/4”.

• Before layering in the filling, I suggest sprinkling the bottom with a grated hard cheese, such as parmesan, or bread crumbs, to avoid the soggy-bottom syndrome. I did a combo of cheese and bread crumbs.

• For the herbed scrambled eggs, chives, parsley, and tarragon combo is more traditional, but I prefer green onion, basil, and oregano.

• Feel free to use whichever color peppers you like! I roasted multi-colored mini sweet peppers in these photos.

• Instead of using paper towels to absorb extra liquid from the spinach and peppers, you can also place them in a strainer over a bowl.

• 1 1/2 lbs of spinach may seem outrageous, but it really cooks down. I have used a scant pound before when that’s all I had, but the spinach is surprisingly delicious and I wouldn’t modify the recipe down if I had a choice.

• Play around with cheeses! You'll want softer cheeses, ones that melt well. Think cheddar, gruyère, havarti, gouda, brie...I enjoy half Swiss and half dill havarti, or another favorite is smoked gruyère.

• When I made homemade puff pastry, this tourte required the longer bake time. With store-bought pastry it often only requires the lower end of the baking time. But again, this will also vary depending on your oven.

Yield 8-12 Servings

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

1 H & 30 M

Cook time

1 H & 30 M

Inactive time

30 Min

Total time

3 H & 30 M

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Tourte Milanese

Layers of turkey, cheese, spinach, roasted red peppers, and eggs encased in flaky puff pastry.

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Ingredients

For the Crust

• 1 lb. / 450g puff pastry, home-made or store bought
• Egg wash made from 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water

For the Eggs

• 10 eggs
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives or green onion
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or basil
• 2 tsp snipped fresh tarragon or fresh oregano
• salt and ground pepper, to taste
• 3 Tbsp / 42g butter

For the Rest of the Filling

• 6 large red bell peppers (or a 16oz jar or two of roasted red peppers)
• 1 1/2 lbs / 680g spinach
• 1 Tbsp / 14g olive oil
• 1 Tbsp / 14g butter
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 8 oz / 225g Swiss cheese
• 8 oz / 225g smoked turkey or ham
• about 1/2 cup each of bread crumbs and shredded parmesan cheese, optional

Instructions

Make the Crust

1. Generously grease an 8in / 20cm springform pan.
2. Cut off 1/4 of the puff pastry, cover, and set aside.
3. Roll out the remaining pastry to roughly 1/8'‘. If working with store-bought, you may have two squares that you will have to press together at the edges as close to a square as you can for rolling out. Be sure to roll it thin enough so it will have a chance to be baked all the way through in the oven. It should be big enough to cover the bottom and sides of your springform pan with an overhang. Carefully press into pan, being sure to press all the way into the corners. Cover and refrigerate.
4. Roll out the remaining 1/4 of puff pastry until it is roughly 1/8" thick. Again, you may have to cut and press together to get as close to a square as you can before rolling out. Cut out an 8 in / 20cm circle, using an 8 in / 20cm pie plate or cake tin as a template. Place on a plate or baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate.

Make the Eggs

1. Whisk eggs, herbs, salt and pepper together. Melt butter in a skillet over low heat and pour in eggs. Gently stir, continuously moving the setting eggs towards the center and allowing runny eggs to reach the bottom of the pan. When the whole mixture has started to thicken, but still a bit runny, remove from heat and pour onto a plate. Cover and refrigerate and until ready to use.

Roast the Peppers

1. Skip this step if you bought roasted red peppers.
2. Method 1: Place peppers over an open flame on your stove top until blackened. Flip and allow second side to roast. Repeat until all peppers have been roasted.
3. Method 2: Place all peppers onto a tinfoil lined sheet pan. Place under broiler in your oven, checking every few minutes, until peppers are blackened. Turn peppers over and roast second side.
4. Once peppers have been roasted, place in an airtight container or ziploc bag for about 20 minutes to steam.
5. Remove peppers and rub the skin off. Cut out the stems and slice from top to bottom, laying them flat. Remove seeds and trim away any inside veins.
6. Place peppers on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess liquid, cover, and refrigerate.

Blanch and Sauté the Spinach

1. Bring a large amount of salted water to a boil. Add spinach and blanch for 1 minute. Drain in a colander and rinse in cold water to stop it from cooking. Press the spinach to remove excess liquid.
2. Place oil, butter, and garlic in a large frying pan over medium heat. When garlic starts to sizzle, add blanched spinach and sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat and transfer spinach to a plate lined with paper towels. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Assemble the Tourte

1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C.
2. Remove the pastry lined pan from the fridge, along with your eggs, peppers, spinach, cheese, and turkey/ham. Layer your ingredients in this order, laying them flat and spreading to the edge:
3. Bread crumbs and grated parmesan, optional
4. Half of eggs
5. Half of spinach
6. Half of turkey/ham
7. Half of cheese
8. All the peppers
9. Other half of cheese
10. Other half of turkey/ham
11. Other half of spinach
12. Other half of eggs
13. Trim the pastry overhang to within 1 in / 2.5cm of the pan. Brush the inner side with egg wash and fold over filling. Brush the other side with more egg wash.
14. Remove the round pastry top from fridge, re-rolling if it has shrunk any. Place over the folded edges of the tourte, pressing down to seal it. Brush with more egg wash. Cut a vent in the center of the dough, or use a knife to trace a design. Or, you can cut out shapes form the puff pastry scraps and decorate the top. Brush shapes with more egg wash.
15. Optional: Chill assembled tourte in fridge for 30 minutes or more prior to baking. It will require more baking time if chilled.
16. Place tourte on a tinfoil lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes - 1 hour 30 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and a deep golden brown.
17. Cool for 30 minutes before releasing from pan and serving.
18. Can be assembled a day ahead.
19. To reheat leftovers, place in an oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C for 20-30 minutes.

Notes

The recipe above is pretty traditional, however, it can easily be adjusted to your tastes.  

• Can be assembled a day ahead.  
• Store-bought puff pastry is usually pre-rolled quite thin, so as you roll it out it will get even thinner. When I made my own, and as you can see in the video of Julia Child and Michel Richard, homemade is more delicate to roll out and won’t get as thin, more like 1/4”.
• Before layering in the filling, I suggest sprinkling the bottom with a grated hard cheese, such as parmesan, or bread crumbs, to avoid the soggy-bottom syndrome. I did a combo of cheese and bread crumbs.
• For the herbed scrambled eggs, chives, parsley, and tarragon combo is more traditional, but I prefer green onion, basil, and oregano.
• Feel free to use whichever color peppers you like! I roasted multi-colored mini sweet peppers in these photos.
• Instead of using paper towels to absorb extra liquid from the spinach and peppers, you can also place them in a strainer over a bowl.
• 1 1/2 lbs of spinach may seem outrageous, but it really cooks down. I have used a scant pound before when that’s all I had, but the spinach is surprisingly delicious and I wouldn’t modify the recipe down if I had a choice.
• Play around with cheeses! You'll want softer cheeses, ones that melt well. Think cheddar, gruyère, havarti, gouda, brie...I enjoy half Swiss and half dill havarti, or another favorite is smoked gruyère.
• When I made homemade puff pastry, this tourte required the longer bake time. With store-bought pastry it often only requires the lower end of the baking time. But again, this will also vary depending on your oven.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

686.27

Fat

45.9 g

Sat. Fat

16.93 g

Carbs

42.33 g

Fiber

5.69 g

Net carbs

36.63 g

Sugar

6.64 g

Protein

28.54 g

Sodium

494.18 mg

Cholesterol

281.18 mg

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 8 servings, including bread crumbs and parmesan.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2017/4/4/tourte-milanese

Tourte Milanese, Julia Child, Michel Richard, spinach, roasted red peppers, en croute, scrambled eggs, cheese, puff pastry,turkey, Italian flag

breakfast, dinner

Italian, French

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