Jen Lazzaro Returns to Cafe Drake

After a brief hiatus we were thrilled to welcome J-La once again to the dinner table at Cafe Drake, albeit a most casual of meals. Aperitifs of bone-dry white wine kicked off the early evening and soon we were plowing through plates of Sicilian-Style Chicken Thighs in a Sweet and Sour Mint Sauce (recipe below), steamed quinoa, spicy jicama salad and stir-fried zucchini, peppers and onion with Italian herbs. With the help of our trusty DVR we finished things off with a sugar-free dessert of Home Sweet Hollywood and Michael and Michael Have Issues.

SICILIAN STYLE CHICKEN THIGHS IN A SWEET-SOUR MINT SAUCE

This recipe was freely adapted from one recently posted on Lynne Rosseto Kasper's marvelous e-newsletter The Weeknight Kitchen. Strangely enough, vinegar sauces and the use of mint as a savoury herb are quite common in the regional cuisines of southern Italy. This dish is a real knockout and super simple and economical to boot.

1. Pan fry over medium heat about 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a bit of olive oil. Salt and pepper both sides freely.


2. Now add 2 cloves of sliced garlic, 1 chopped tomato and about a full T. of oregano (or quite a few sprigs of fresh if available). Stir for a minute.


3. Add to the same large skillet, about 1 cup of wine vinegar, 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar or honey. Throw in some crushed red chiles as the dish requires heat (which in turn will be offset by the sweetness).


4. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer and cook, covered, for 20-30 minutes.


5. Remove chicken from pan and boil liquid hard until reduced by about half.
   
6. Throw chicken back in and heat through and serve hot with the entire dish covered in shredded mint leaves.