Chicken and Mushrooms A La Crème

Desperate times call for desperate measures they say...

In my case, I thought long and hard about how I should blog now that I have moved to London. This is my first post in English and I hope I don't disappoint my Greek readers terribly, but I feel there are not enough hours in a day, so in order to keep my sanity, I chose the easy path. No 'two different blogs for each country' thoughts for me anymore! Just the same, www.gourmelita.com, in English for the time being.  

Between two new schools for my children, a new job, a new flat, actually: a whole new life, I somewhat got... lost in translation. 

Everything is new, exciting and different! 

I am now collaborating with a chain of restaurants here in London, and I will elaborate on that on an upcoming post on one of the restaurant's signature dishes, which makes me drool whenever the smell 'hits' me at work.

In the past few months, I have had very little time to focus on my cooking-of course I still cook daily-and I have already come up with a few totally new and easy recipes which were savior on those evenings that all three of us-the kids and me-were home from school and work, tired and starving, but I did not have the time nor the light to capture those on 

camera! 

I hope things will start to straighten out, and life will soon enter a nice routine-I always underestimated the term until now-that will give me the opportunity to create all the recipes I imagine, and especially the ones that come to mind everyday when I pass through Borough Market to go to work, and once more to get back home.

I am in foodie paradise I tell you! 

As for this recipe? It is one of the mentioned above 'savior' recipes, which I decided to photograph the third time I made it, after popular demand of the kids of course. It's really easy to make, quite fast, and we all went for seconds until the pan was wiped clean, so in my book that's a definite keeper!

I fell in love with the little mushroom baskets at the market, not to mention with the amazing selection of gorgeous mushrooms that resemble colorful flowers, and what better way to eat them, then sautéed with chicken, fresh garlic, rosemary, excellent greek wine-I brought that one with me from Greece-and double cream? 

Yum. I will have to repeat this soon, as it has been around 3 weeks that I haven't gotten to writing this recipe down!

     INGREDIENTS:

     (for 4 people) 

• 500-650 gr chicken breasts, cut in thick strips
• Around 400 gr of a variety of mushrooms-the more the varieties the merrier! 
• 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots-diced 
• 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic-crushed
• 2-3 small hot peppers-in very small slices
• 3/4 cup of white wine
• 1tsp of English mustard 
• 1 cup of double cream
• A small twig of fresh rosemary 
• 2 tbsp of Worcesteshire sauce
• Freshly ground pepper, salt 
• Grated parmezan-optional 

      RECIPE:

1. You will need a large frying pan. Place the cut chicken strips in a large bowl, and add some pepper, a little salt, the woster sauce and the mustard. Gently mix so the chicken is coated. You can now cover the bowl with wrap and place it in the fridge to marinate it for a few hours if you have the luxury of time. 
2. Prepare the mushrooms by removing any traces of mud. Leave the small varieties whole, and slice the larger ones, i.e. the plevrotus.
3. Place the pan on the stove at the highest setting. Add the olive oil, the shallots, the peppers and the chicken strips. 
4. Sauté stirring gently until the chicken starts to darken externally-for about 6 minutes-and add the mushrooms and some rosemary leaves.
5. Sauté for 1-2 more minutes, stirring a few times, add the wine, and lower the gas mark. Let simmer for 4-5 min. 
6. Add the double cream and let the food boil for a further 5 minutes, stirring once in a while, until the cream starts to thicken and creates a rich sauce.
7. Remove from the stove, and serve immediately-sprinkles with parmezan if you like-over a bed of rice, pasta or just accompany it with crusty warm bread and a glass of wine!