August 3: Chicken Breasts or Swordfish Steaks with Raw Puttanesca Sauce and Roasted Capers

1/4 cup drained capers
   Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
4 6-ounce chicken breast halves or 4 6-ounce portions of swordfish steak, trimmed of skin
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, 2 chopped and 1 left whole but cracked away from its skin
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 small white onion, quartered and thinly sliced
4 large slices crusty semolina bread
1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Scatter the capers on a rimmed cookie sheet. Drizzle with EVOO and roast for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove and set the oven to broil.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle the chicken or swordfish with EVOO and season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken for 6 minutes on each side or the fish for 4 minutes on each side.

In a small bowl, mix the tomatoes with the chopped garlic, parsley, and onions. Drizzle EVOO over the raw sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Place the bread under the broiler and char on both sides. Rub the bread with the cracked garlic and drizzle with EVOO.

Serve the chicken or fish on dinner plates with a squeeze of lemon juice, tons of tomato sauce, and roasted capers on top, and charred bread alongside.

4 SERVINGS

There's not much to say about this meal. It tasted good. I used chicken instead of swordfish because 1) it's cheaper and 2) I'm pregnant and shouldn't eat swordfish. I didn't change anything.