Chicken Parmigiano

How Did I Miss It?



Wednesday night I taught a class on cooking fish. The class was packed — 22 students — and as usual, great fun. I began with sautéed jerked shrimp, moved on to broiled tilapia with arugula pesto, did salmon in parchment, grilled tuna and topped it with Romesco sauce, and ended with poached tilapia with a lemon/cream sauce. The only significant technique I didn't cover was frying fish and there was simply no way to fry at that venue for that many people. All together I cooked served 16 pounds of fish.

I was standing behind the counter after serving the last dish, trying a bite of it and listening to the "hmms" running around the room and couldn't resist saying, "You know, I get to eat like this all the time." And you know, I do and that's the point.

I was surprised a week ago to realize I'd never made Chicken Parmesan — in fact, somehow I'd never even eaten this Italian restaurant staple.

The underlying theme that links all of my classes, the articles I write, and even the food I prepare for my personal chef clients is simplicity. Like Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee I'm sensitive to the demands of schedules, the lack of good kitchen training, and the desire for bold flavors. Unlike them, I think you can cook such meals without taking shortcuts. At the Pasta and Herbs class I did a couple of weeks ago the students kept noting how easy the dishes were and yet full of flavor: "I could come home from work and make this."

So I was surprised a week ago to realize I'd never made Chicken Parmesan — in fact, somehow I'd never even eaten this Italian restaurant staple. I did some research and came up with this recipe, which is largely based on a recipe from **Cooks Illustrated. The egg dip enables lots of cheese to adhere to the chicken and produces a wonderfully crisp crust.

Chicken Parmigiano
Serves 4.

4 chicken breasts — pounded to 1/2" thick
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs — whisked
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grated parmigiano
1 tsp. dried thyme
Marinara sauce

Heat oven to 225F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Place 1/4 cup flour in a pie pan. Put egg in a pie pan. Combine 2 tablespoons flour, Parmigiano, and thyme in a pie pan.

Season breasts with salt and pepper. Coat 2 breasts in flour and shake off excess. Dip in egg and coat thoroughly. Dip in Parmigiano and coat thoroughly. Cook two breasts for about 4 minutes per side until lightly browned. Transfer to an oven proof-plate and keep warm in the oven. Repeat for other breasts.

Serve, topped with warm marinara sauce.

This version is boldly but simply flavored. Each element from chicken to cheese to sauce works in harmony. An Oregon Pinot Grigio would be a perfect wine.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | main dish | chicken | italian

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Curried Chicken

Just Like Mum's



I like curried dishes in most forms and fix them often. But my favorite remains the curry my mother made when I was growing up. I think what appealed most to me were the toppings that she'd place in bowls on a Lazy Susan. I've never run across a recipe calling for assorted toppings and so I suspect it's not traditional. Nevertheless, the mèlange of individual and easily distinguishable flavors and textures set against the curry background is, to me, irresistible. I find the the sweet flavors of fruit are particularly good.

This particular recipe is adapted from Living Lean and Loving It by Eve Lowry and Carla Mulligan Ennis (Mosby/Forman 1988) and is named Mum's Chicken Curry. According to the book, "Mum" is Analeen Stork who was raised in Ceylon. Although the recipe doesn't include toppings, the basic dish is very similar to what my "Mum" used to make.

Mum's Chicken Curry
Serves 6.

3 lbs chicken thighs — skinned
2 tbsps peanut oil
1 oz fresh ginger — sliced thin
1 ea jalapeno pepper — seeded and minced
1 ea onion — diced
3 ea garlic cloves — minced
1/2 c water
2 tbsps vinegar
1 c coconut milk
Spice Mixture:
2 ea cinnamon sticks — crumbled
10 ea cloves
2 tbsps curry powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 ea bay leaves
6 ea cardamom pods
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Toppings:
1 c banana — 1/2" dice
1 c pineapple — 1/2" dice
1 c scallions — 1/2" dice
1/2 c coconut flakes
1/2 c orange marmalade
1/2 c bacon — 1/2" dice
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c peanuts
1/2 c mango chutney

Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat until it begins to smoke. With exhaust fan running, add spice mixture and cook, stirring constantly to prevent burning, for five minutes.

Reduce heat to medium low, add onion, garlic, and jalapeno and continue cooking for two minutes. Add chicken, water, and vinegar, reduce heat to very low, cover, and simmer for 90 minutes. Add coconut milk and heat thoroughly.

Serve over basmati rice with toppings of choice.

Note: I prefer a hot Madras curry powder.

Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | curry | chicken | indian

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Chicken Breasts with Herbs & Bacon

Keeping It Simple



Back when I was a computer programmer and then editor I would have loved to have had a 9 - 5 job — or so I claimed. A 50-hour week wasn't unusual and even 60-hour weeks were fairly common. On the other hand, as a programmer a lot of those hours over 40 went to personal projects and as an editor I just loved the work and devoted the time even though my boss seriously objected to my working that hard.

Nevertheless, I found time to cook every weekend. One night I'd make something that produced leftovers to keep me going during the week (I became quite creative at making minimal changes to a meal to make it seem different) and the other night I fix something special. However, even with my leftover strategy, there were times when I had to cook during the week and I came up with a number of recipes that were quick and easy to make — many involving chicken because I could keep a few breasts, individually packaged, in the freezer and then do a quick thaw in cold water when I got home.

The herbs and bacon add flavor and the bacon also keeps the breast from drying out.

Chicken Picatta is my all-time favorite, and for a year after posting my recipe here it was the most popular recipe I had on Seriously Good (I really need to make a new photo, I'd forgotten how bad that one was). I also frequently teach it in classes where it always gets raves. Another quick dish (although it requires a stop at the store) is trout or salmon filets brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with Spanish smoked paprika, and the broiled. It's downside is that the fish must be absolutely fresh because the preparation is too simple to cover for poor quality.

One of the first such quick recipes I came up was chicken breasts with herbs and bacon. The herbs and bacon add flavor and the bacon also keeps the breast from drying out.

Chicken Breasts with Herbs & Bacon

1 - 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 - 6 strips of good smoked bacon
Herbs de Provence
salt

Heat oven to 425F.

Place chicken breasts on a foil-lined baking sheet, sprinkle generously with Herbes de Provence and lightly with salt. Fold each strip of bacon into a "V" and place on top of the chicken breasts. Bake in center of oven until bacon crisps and clear juices begin to run from the chicken. (About 20 minutes, internal temperature should be 160F.)

Serve with something equally simple to prepare such as a green salad or sliced tomatoes and cucumbers.

Technorati: Food | recipe | chicken

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Paisano: Saltimbocca

Jump in the Mouth



Saltimbocca is an Italian word meaning "jump in the mouth" and is the name of a Roman dish classically made with veal, prosciutto, and sage. It's also sometimes made with chicken or pork and cheese is a frequent addition. I've had it a few times made with either chicken or veal and although it was good, I can't say it jumped in my mouth.

This past Saturday I taught a class on Roman cooking and decided to see if I could really make Saltimbocca jump. The first thought that occurred to me was adding a few red pepper flakes – sort of a literal interpretation of "jump." But after a bit of thought I decided that was too literal and would detract from the flavor of the sage. What I wanted to do was to keep the classic flavors, but somehow boost them without altering them.

I decided to go with chicken breasts for the class. Although I have access to flavorful, humanely-raised veal it's expensive and the food allowance for the class wouldn't allow for it. The first thing I decided to do was marinate the chicken in Pinot Grigio with fresh sage for four hours. This would up the wine and sage flavors.

Next, I decided to briefly fry the prosciutto to intensify it's flavor. And lastly I decided to add a tough of anchovy paste and a squeeze of lemon to the sauce.

Anchovies are a natural source of glumates, which enhance savory flavors. The goal wasn't to taste the anchovies, but add just enough to lurk in the background adding deeper and richer savor to the dish.

Although this added four steps to a simple dish, the additional effort is almost nonexistent and this version does do a little skip, hop, and jump with each bite.

Chicken Saltimbocca
Serves 4.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts – pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
1 cup Pinot Grigio
2 sprig fresh sage – crumbled
3 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup flour
3 tablespoons minced fresh sage plus four sage leaves for garnish
8 slices prosciutto
4 slices provolone
1/4 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 tablespoons butter

Place wine, sage sprig, and chicken breasts in a ziplock bag and marinate for 4 hours, turning occasionally.

Heat oven to 375F.

Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Briefly cook prosciutto, about 5 seconds per side.

Remove chicken from bag, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess, and then brown both sides in the sauté pan. Set sauté pan aside but don't clean.

Place chicken breasts on a foil-lined baking sheet and cook in the oven for about 15 minutes. Top each breast with minced sage, two slices of prosciutto, and a slice of cheese. Cook for another 5 minutes until cheese melts.

In the meantime, deglaze the skillet with the wine, discarding the sage and reduce by 1/2. Stir in anchovy paste and lemon juice. Remove from heat and stir in butter.

Plate the breasts and drizzle each with sauce.

Technorati: Food | recipe | saltimbocca | chicken | italian | paisano

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Chicken Stroganoff

Variations



Supposedly Beef Stroganoff was created by a chef in Saint Petersburg for a culinary competition held in the 1890s. Although the dish was almost certainly named for Count Paul Stroganoff, a Russian noble and diplomat, Larousse Gastronomique points out that similar dishes were described in the 18th century. However, it also states that the particular version named Stroganoff was created by Charles Briere.

On the other hand:

"It is doubtful that Beef Stroganoff was [Count Stroganoff's] or his chef's invention since the recipe was included in the 1871 edition of the Molokhovets cookbook...which predates his fame as a gourmet. Not a new recipe, by the way, but a refined version of an even older Russian recipe, it had probably beenin the family for some years and became well known through Pavel Stroganoff's love of entertaining." — The Art of Russian Cuisine by Anne Volokh with Mavis Manus, Macmillan, 1983

A recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation. ~ Madame Jehane Benoit

The dish didn't appear in American cookbooks until 1930. And according to Wikipedia, after the fall of Imperial Russia, the recipe was popular in Chinese hotels and restaurants before the start of the Second World War. Russian and Chinese immigrants, as well as U.S. servicemen stationed in pre-socialist China, brought several variants of the dish to the United States, which may account for its popularity during the 1950s.

As is usual with dishes that become popular, there was a rush to the lowest common denominator and I'm proud to have done my part in dragging it through the dust.

Seriously, though, I use the name "Stroganoff" advisedly in this instance. I don't claim that this is a version of the classic dish, but rather a related effort that is easy to make, is ready in an hour, and is delicious left over.

Chicken Stroganoff
Serves 6.

1 lb chicken tenders — but into 1 inch lengths
1 tbsp oil
1 c rice
1/2 lb musrooms — sliced
1 tsp dried thyme — separated
1 tbsp butter
1/2 ea lg onions — diced
1 clove garlic — minced
3 c chicken stock — separated
1/2 c vermouth
salt and black pepper
1 c sour cream

Make rice using 2 cups of chicken stock and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme. Set aside.

Add mushrooms to a dry 10" sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with salt, and cook, stirring frequently until mushrooms begin to brown. Add 1/2 teaspoon thyme and 1 tbsp butter. Cook until well-browned. Put mushrooms on a plate and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium and add onions (you may need to add a bit more butter or oil). Saute, stirring occasionally until they just begin to brown. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add to plate with mushrooms.

Add 2 tablespoons oil and increase heat to medium-high. Brown chicken in two batches. When last batch is browned add vermouth and reduce by half, scraping up fond. Add remaining chicken stock and reserved vegetables. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Uncover, add rice and sour cream.

Technorati: Food | recipe | chicken | stroganoff

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