Chicken Parmesan

Posted on May 11, 2011 by ChgoJohn

As is the case within most families, birthdays were special events in our household and Mom would fix whatever dish the birthday child desired. For me, that choice was always veal parmesan. Mom served it with home-made pasta and I was one happy boy. Nowadays, I tend to avoid veal but I can’t avoid this dish nor the memories it evokes. So, instead of veal, I use chicken. It may not be the same but it’s close enough — and certainly good enough — for me.

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To begin, I start with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which are fried after being floured and breaded. They are then placed into a baking dish, smothered in marinara sauce, and topped with sliced mozzarella & grated parmesan cheese before being baked in the oven. Yes, this recipe can make a mess of your kitchen but the pay-off is well worth the effort. The only advice in this area that I might offer is to clean as you go. When the marinara sauce is simmering, clean the work area and utensils. The same goes with the breading station as the chicken is being fried. When the final dish is in the oven, put the rest of the mess into the dishwasher (I hope you have a dishwasher) and start it running. Take it from one who’s been there, your kitchen will resemble a disaster area if you put off the cleaning until after you’ve eaten dinner.

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Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Ingredients

1 quart Marinara Sauce
1 pkg boneless, skinless chicken thighs (5 or 6 thighs)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 – 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
3 tbsp olive oil, more as needed for frying
1 large ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly to provide a slice for each thigh
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Directions

Set up a breading station. Place the flour in one dish; combine the eggs & milk and place into the center dish; and in the third dish mix the bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder and parsley. Season each thigh with salt & pepper. Use the standard breading technique and begin by coating each thigh with the flour, one at a time. Shake off the excess flour before coating the thigh with the egg mixture. Allow the excess to drain a bit and dredge the thigh in the bread crumbs. Set the breaded thigh aside and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
Place oil in a large frying pan and heat over med-high heat. Working in batches, fry the breaded thighs until each side is golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. If necessary, replenish the oil between batches.
Pre-heat oven to 375*.
Liberally butter or use a cooking spray to coat a 9 x 13″ baking dish.
Coat the bottom of the dish with a few ladles of the marinara sauce.
Place the fried chicken pieces into the dish and use the rest of the tomato sauce to cover them all.
Evenly sprinkle the dish with the parmesan cheese and then position one slice of mozzarella on top of each chicken piece.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Variations

Originally, Mom shallow-fried the veal in about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil. Initially, I did the same with the chicken pieces but, over the years, eventually cut out most of the oil in favor of a few tbsp of olive oil. Use whichever method you prefer, so long as the breaded pieces are golden brown when you’re done.

Mom never baked her veal parmesan and you needn’t bake this dish either. In a large, deep frying pan with a lid, add enough sauce to generously coat the pan’s surface, add the coated, fried chicken pieces, and cover with more sauce before sprinkling with grated parmesan cheese and topping with mozzarella slices. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat until the chicken is fully cooked, about 30 minutes. Use an instant read thermometer when in doubt.

I use chicken thighs but chicken breasts, tenders, or whatever chicken parts you prefer can be substituted. You may find, however, that boneless pieces work best. No matter what part(s) of the chicken you use, just be aware that the cooking times may vary, so, again, use an instant read thermometer to ensure the meat is thoroughly cooked.

Notes

The dish, as shown, was prepared “family style” and I wouldn’t necessarily serve it this way for guests. Here, the chicken pieces are pretty much blanketed by a coating of cheese. If I were serving guests, I would be more careful with the cheese placement, using less cheese and restricting it to the individual chicken pieces. For “family,” however, I’ll go with the cheese blanket and I haven’t had any complaints yet.

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Pasta with Clams (“White Sauce”)

Posted on April 27, 2011 by ChgoJohn

Pasta con VongoleWhenever I’m lucky enough to visit Italy, I make a point of ordering pasta with clams at least once while I’m there. Using varieties of clams I’ve never seen stateside, my pasta is served chock full of tiny, incredibly sweet bivalves no bigger than my thumbnail. What a treat! Back here at home, when I’m in an adventurous mood, I’ll make a run to the Asian markets to try some of the varieties of clams that they have on hand. More often than not, however, I’ll just head to one of the better groceries and pick up some littleneck or manila clams. When I do, I know that night’s dinner will be something special.

With no tomato sauce to simmer, this is an amazingly simple recipe that results in a very flavorful dish. Just toss a few ingredients into a frying pan while your pasta cooks and, in about 10 minutes, you’ll be sitting down to dinner. It really is as simple to make as it is delicious to eat.

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Pasta with Clams (“White Sauce”) Recipe

total time: approx. 90 minutes (75 minutes for prep, 15 minutes cooking)

Ingredients

at least 2 doz. little neck or manila clams
3 tbsp olive oil
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup white wine or water
salt & pepper, to taste
1 lb pasta
chopped parsley for garnish

Linguine with Clams

Directions

At least an hour before dinner, use a brush to individually scrub each clam before rinsing and placing it in a large bowl of cold freshwater. Rinse them a second time just before proceeding with the recipe.
Bring a 6 quart pot of salted water to boil.
Add oil to a large frying pan with a lid. Add the garlic, parsley and the wine or water.
Add the pasta to the pot of salted boiling water. The pasta, if dried, should take 9 or 10 minutes to cook. If fresh, less time will be needed. Time it so that its completion coincides with that of the clams.
Just when the frying pan’s liquid begins to show signs of boiling, add the clams and cover tightly,
In about 5 to 8 minutes, the clams should be open & steamed. Discard any unopened clams. Replace cover and remove from heat.
Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta, and combine the clams & pan juices with the drained pasta. If too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water.
Serve immediately, garnished with chopped parsley.

Variations

This dish is totally reliant upon timing. If you’re off, the pasta will not be piping hot or, worse yet, the clams will be over-cooked and chewy. Just heed the pasta package’s instructions and keep in mind that the clams will open about 5 minutes after they hit the hot pan. Very often, if my clams are ready and my pasta still needs another minute or two, I’ll use the time to remove some of the clam meat from the shells. I won’t remove all of the meat from the shells because I prefer to see a few shells in each serving. It’s all about the presentation.

Notes

When in Italy, one is far more likely to see this dish than you would pasta with clams in a tomato (“red”) sauce. The latter dish, however, is more popular here in the States. Truth be told, I usually prepare today’s recipe and only “go red” about 25% of the time. The choice is yours to make and here’s my recipe for Pasta with Clams – (Red Sauce) for those who prefer their clams in a tomato sauce.

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Cherry Cheesecake Pizza

Posted on April 20, 2011 by ChgoJohn

Since Easter is only a few days away, I thought it the perfect time for something sweet. Mom got this recipe from one of our two-flat’s neighbors, Johnnie, a wonderful woman whose daughter and my sister remain very close friends to this day. Easy to make, this is a perfect dessert for any party, potluck, or family dinner. If you wish, you can use canned pie filling and ready-made pie crusts — I told you it was easy. On the other hand, if you’ve got the time, you can make your own pastry dough and/or topping from fresh or frozen fruit. Either way, you’ll end up with a great little dessert.

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Cherry Cheesecake Pizza Recipe

Ingredients

2 pie crusts, ready-made or equivalent amount of pastry dough — not puff pastry
two 8 oz packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup walnuts, rough chopped
1 tsp salt
two 14.5 oz cans of pie filling (or use 2 cans/bottles of tart cherries and follow the maker’s recipe on the container to make a filling)
Whipped cream for serving – optional

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350*.
Roll pastry dough until large enough to cover the pan, as well as to create a ridge along the edge of the pan. Transfer to pan, prick with fork several times, and bake on center rack of oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Using a hand or stand mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar.
Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until well-blended. Add vanilla and mix well.
Add the walnuts and mix using a spoon or spatula.
Once the crust is thoroughly cooled, pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust and use an offset spatula to make it smooth.
Bake in pre-heated 350* oven until set, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before proceeding.
Carefully pour and spread fruit topping to cover the cheesecake. Refrigerate until well-chilled, at least 2 hours.
Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

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Variations

The original recipe called for one ready-made pie crust and one 8 oz package of cream cheese. Mom always doubled the amount of cream cheese and used both pie crusts, as well. This cheesecake was originally made on a 14″ or 16″ round pizza pan but, lacking one, I use a 12″ x 9″ sheet pan instead. Lastly, the original recipe used cherries for the topping. You can easily substitute blueberries, strawberries, or whatever fruit you prefer.

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Stracciatella Soup

Posted on March 23, 2011 by ChgoJohn

Stracciatella is an Italian egg drop soup that is common to San Marino and Le Marche, as well as Rome and Emilia-Romagna. The name is derived from the Italian word that means “torn apart” or “rags” and that’s an apt description for the dish. The eggs look like tiny torn rags in the broth. A tasty soup, this easy-to-prepare dish makes a perfect lunch or first course.

The foundation of any good bowl of soup is the broth. Sunday mornings, from late Fall through early Spring, it was fairly common to find a large stock pot, simmering atop Mom’s stove, filled with vegetables, chicken, and a piece of beef. The resultant broth, brodo, formed the basis of that week’s soup and the occasional batch of risotto. Stracciatella, being so relatively plain, needs that kind of rich, full-bodied broth. I highly recommend making your own stock — be it vegetable or meat-based — for this soup but I, also, realize that not everyone has the time to do so. As a result, if you do use store-bought stock, be sure it’s low-sodium. Once you’ve added the egg and cheese mixture to the broth, you can taste the soup and add salt, if need be.

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Stracciatella Soup Recipe

total time: approx. 15 minutes

Ingredients

8 cups (2 quarts) chicken stock (vegetable stock may be substituted for a vegetarian diet)
3 large eggs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
salt & pepper, to taste
grated parmesan cheese for serving

Directions

Combine eggs, cheese, parsley, and nutmeg in a bowl or container with a pouring spout and mix well.
Place stock into a sauce pan and heat over a med-high heat.
When it begins to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, use one hand to gently stir the stock in a circular motion and, with the other hand, slowly pour the egg mixture into the pan.
When all the egg mixture has been added, stop stirring and continue simmering for another minute or so.
Taste the soup and season with salt & pepper, if needed.
Serve immediately with additional grated parmesan cheese.

Variations

I’ve seen stracciatella prepared with spinach several times by television cooks and, in fact, I’ve prepared it this way, too. Strictly speaking, it is not a “true” stracciatella but it is a tasty alternative and just about as easy to make as the original. Take either frozen chopped spinach or fresh spinach that’s been chopped and add it to the simmering stock. Let the stock cook the spinach for a few minutes before stirring and adding the egg mixture. Whether or not you include spinach, with so few ingredients, a delicious bowl of stracciatella is only minutes away.

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