Pan fried chicken breast with mushroom ragout linguine topped with arugula leaves

This dish is my own creation. I made this from scratch without referring to any recipes *proud*
It looks good and it taste even better ;)

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 pcs chicken breast

Marinade:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp of light soya sauce
dash of worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp paprika
dried oregano (optional)
dried rosemary (optional)

Mushroom ragout:
1 pkt fresh button mushroom, sliced
1 tbsp butter
3-4 garlic, minced
dried oregano
pinch of sugar
salt & pepper
150ml milk
1 tsp cornstarch (mix with 2 tbps water)

1 pkt arugula (rocket)
2 portions of linguine, cooked al dente

1. Marinate the chicken breast and leave aside for 15-20 mins.
2. Heat up a pan, pan fried the chicken breast 3mins on each side or until cooked. Chicken breast can be cooked easily, it only takes a couple of minutes. To check if it's fully cooked, poke a skewer in the centre, if it goes right through easily, then the chicken is cooked.
3. Dish up and set aside.
4. To make the mushroom ragout, melt butter in a pan and add in garlic. Saute the garlic until fragrant, add in mushroom with all the dried herbs and seasoning.
5. When it's almost cooked, pour in milk and stir well until gravy thickens. Add in cornstarch if need to thicken the gravy.
6. To plate the dish, place linguine on the plate and topped with mushroom. Cut chicken breast into big pieces and arrange them on top of the mushroom. Finally, topped with a handful of arugula leaves.

*Note:
Ragout is a french word, it means stew. The basic method of preparation involves cooking over low heat.
Al dente is an italian word describing pasta that has been cooked so as to be firm but not hard. It is often considered the ideal form of cooked pasta.

Maple-Balsamic Lamb Cutlets

I just came back from sydney and bought a packet of lamb cutlets from woolworths. It cost me aud 11 plus for 6 pcs. I dunno if it's cheaper than in s'pore, but i assumed that it was.
While searching for lamb recipes i came across Honey-Balsamic Lamb Chops courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis. I did some changes based on her recipe. I substituted Honey with Maple syrup, mainly bcoz i only have maple syrup at home.

Ingredients

6 pcs lamb cutlets
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
cracked black pepper
2 sprigs of rosemary

1. To prepare marinade, mix vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, salt & pepper in a bowl. Whisk the mixture until it becomes a thick sauce.
2. Place the lamb cutlets in a heat-proof dish, pour the marinade over them and make sure the cutlets are evenly coated with the marinade.
3. Sprinkle crushed garlic and rosemary over the cutlets.
4. Set aside for 20-30 mins. (It can be kept overnight)

5. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
Sear both sides of the cutlets on a pan over medium heat, approximately 2-3 mins on each side. (This is to retain the juice of the meat)
6. Place them back onto the heat-proof dish and pop them into the oven for approximately 10-15 mins or until cooked.
7. Dish out and serve with roasted potatoes and french beans.
8. Spoon the sauce over the lamb or serve the sauce on the side.