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A woman with 6 records to her name, over 19 singles and many awards spanning her career, Patricia Conroy definitely has a passion and talent for music. In a recent conversation with her, it also became very apparent that she shares this same love for food. "I really take my eating seriously" she admits, "and plan as much as I can, but when it's busy, it's difficult. Food, music and friendship are all inter-connected for me. I don`t live for music, I love music. Food and music are very inspirational."

When I inquired as to her favorite type of food, she stated "I`m pretty much into Italian food. I`m sure I`m not alone. I love Greek food too. Yeah, both of those... and as far as childhood memories go, corned beef and cabbage of course. That was a huge one at home. That`s a good place to start and we can narrow it down from there." From this early start in the conversation, I realized that I was really going to enjoy working with her on this project. Already I could tell that there were many angles to direct her recipe towards.

She then took me back in time with stories of her childhood in Montreal. "We were big healthy eaters. My Mom was really into Italian food, and of course my Dad was really into Irish food... boiled dinners... cabbage and mussels. Every Christmas Eve we would have Montreal Smoked meat piled high with Irish coffees. That was a tradition and that`s something that has really stuck with me. We would get Montreal rye bread and my dad would get a big slab of the smoked meat and cook it up Christmas Eve, and we would go to Midnight Mass every year and so we would basically be eating tall smoked meat sandwiches, which we put together ourselves with a really good mustard, and Dad would make the Irish coffees... and of course ours was without the alcohol... and then go off to midnight mass. It`s quite a nice memory."

Looking for a preferred way she would like to focus her recipe, I pried a bit further "If someone was to say, ‘let`s go out for dinner tonight'..." Immediately she answered "Italian" with extreme confidence in her voice. "There`s a dish called ‘Chicken Bryan' that I like quite a bit. I believe it is some kind of goat cheese that they put on top, on a chicken with a sundried tomato sort of sauce. It`s amazing. They put a slab of goat cheese on top so that every bite is like, oh my God, amazing! And I usually just have it with asparagus or whatever they have." I definitely struck a chord in her culinary heart with this question and said "maybe we can even show Bryan up and make a Chicken Patricia?" She agreed, "I think we should". Looking for an angle to transform this dish into her very own, I investigated more, "is there anything you don`t like or have allergies to? ...and what would be your favorite ingredient?" "I`m not a huge brussel sprout fan" she exposed with a bit of a chuckle, "If my first bite of something was going to be magic, it wouldn`t be a brussel sprout for me. I mean I like turnips and I like cabbage and I really love that kind of meal, but a dish (like Chicken Bryan) has a really great feeling and is worth stopping for and stopping everything. I do love artichoke hearts. Love, love love, love them! I put artichokes in almost everything... in my Greek salad, my spaghetti, everything." She continued, "meals on the run don`t thrill me at all. I don`t want to eat anything that isn`t good for me, and I`m really careful about that... but with the chicken with the sundried (tomato sauce) thing, to me you gotta do that. It`s kind of like having a bowl of ice cream every once in a while. You have to treat yourself. Everything in Moderation."

I now had a complete focus to gear her recipe, and set out to create a dish that would undeniably be Patricia's own. Having it abundant with artichoke hearts and a richness that would stop her in her tracks, from her busy life, would be perfect. "Patricia's Mediterranean Chicken" is just such a dish. Patricia, I hope you, your loved ones, and fans appreciate this meal as much as the passion we all share for country music. You told me "I think country music is popular because it speaks to people about real life", and I think you are popular because you are so real. It is an absolute pleasure getting to know you, and an honor to work on this recipe for you. You have been in the industry for quite some time, built a well deserved name for yourself and your music will always have a treasured spot in our collection. Let's get together again as soon as our schedules allow, to enjoy this dish together, more great conversation... and of course some music.

Patricia's Mediterranean Chicken - makes 6 portions
Recipe created by Chef Dez/Gordon Desormeaux www.chefdez.com
"Goat cheese covered grilled chicken topped with a sundried tomato & artichoke sauce infused with garlic, white wine, fresh lemon juice and basil. Very rich and very delicious."

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
2 tbsp butter
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp minced onion
½ (one half) cup dry white wine
Juice from 2 lemons (approx. one quarter cup), zest reserved
1 cup chopped oil packed sundried tomatoes, drained
1 - 398ml/14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
¼ (one quarter) cup whipping cream
2 tsp sugar
½ (one half) tsp salt
½ (one half) tsp pepper
2/3 (two thirds) cup cold butter, cut in small pieces
¼ (one quarter) cup chopped fresh basil
227g/one half pound soft unripened goat's milk cheese

1. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over a medium flame for approximately 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through.
2. While chicken is cooking prepare the sauce. Melt the 2 tbsp butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until soft, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the wine and lemon juice, increase heat to medium high and reduce until half of the liquid has evaporated, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, artichokes, cream, sugar, salt and pepper.
5. Turn off the heat. Add the butter one piece at a time while stirring to incorporate. Once all the butter has been added, stir in the basil.
6. Divide the goat cheese into 6 equal portions. During the last 2 minutes of cooking time for the chicken, top with the goat cheese.
7. Serve the cheese topped chicken immediately with the sauce spooned over top.
8. Garnish with the reserved lemon zest.

 Check out more from Chef Dez
Western Canada's own Food Columnist, Culinary Instructor & Cooking Show Performer
www.chefdez.com

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