Rachael's Daytime Talk Show
TV Dinner: Chicken or Chops with “Blubarb” Sauce, Rice with Peas, Wilted Spinach -- 05/12/11

TV Dinner: Chicken or Chops with “Blubarb” Sauce, Rice with Peas, Wilted Spinach

Ingredients

  • For the Blubarb Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 pound rhubarb stalks, chopped into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • Sea salt
  • A little freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 cup or pint container of blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice

  • For the Rice
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 1/2 cup orzo
  • 1 cup organic, long-grain white rice
  • 2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup fresh or defrosted frozen peas
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley 
  •
  • For the Chicken or Chops
  • 4 8-ounce pieces chicken breast or 4 1 1/2-inch thick bone-in pork chops
  • Salt and pepper
  • About 1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock

  • For the Spinach
  • 1 pound farm spinach, washed and dried
  • EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
  • Salt and pepper
  • Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Step

For the sauce, melt butter in a sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add rhubarb, sauté a couple of minutes to get it going then pour the sugar around the pan. Season with a little sea salt and nutmeg, throw in cinnamon stock, blueberries, lemon zest and juice and stir occasionally. Cook until berries burst and sauce forms, and the rhubarb is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick before serving.

Step

For the rice, melt butter over medium heat in a pot. Add shallots and stir 2 minutes then add orzo and toast to golden. Add rice and 2 cups stock, bring to boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook to tender, 16-18 minutes, adding a little more stock if rice begins to stick and is not yet tender. If using fresh peas, add them in halfway through cooking time; if using defrosted frozen peas, add them in when rice the last 2-3 minutes. Fluff rice with fork and stir in mint and parsley.

Step

Season chops or chicken well with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken or chops to pan and cook 6 minutes on each side. Add stock to pan to deglaze, turn meat to coat on both sides, turn off heat, cover with loose foil and let rest 5 minutes.

Step

For the spinach, heat a drizzle of oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Wilt in spinach in large handfuls, season with salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste and douse with lemon juice.

Step

Serve chops or chicken with Blubarb Sauce on top, rice and peas and wilted spinach alongside.