Chicken Milanese

1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 pound of boneless chicken breasts, trimmed into 1/4 inch slices
1 cup of plain breadcrumbs
1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Zest of one lemon
1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
Olive oil

In one shallow soup sized bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.

Place the breadcrumbs, cheese, lemon zest, pepper and thyme in another similarly shaped bowl and stir until they're well incorporated

Heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet until it's smoking, and then turn it to medium and let it sit for a minute.

Dip the chicken in the egg/milk mixture, one piece at a time and let any excess drain off the meat.

Then cover the cutlet in bread crumbs, and shake off any excess before placing it gently in the pan, so you don't splatter yourself with the hot oil.

Cook on one side for 4-5  minutes, until it's nicely browned, and then turn it over, cooking again for 4-5 minutes, until it's browned.

Place the cutlets on a paper towel to drain off excess oil before serving.

You can squirt them with lemon juice before serving if desired.

Chicken/Veal Parmigiana

Cook up a batch of breaded chicken/veal cutlets (http://judyfoodislove.blogspot.com/2014/09/breaded-chicken-cutlets.html.)

While they're cooking, line a baking dish with a layer of marinara sauce (http://judyfoodislove.blogspot.com/2013/10/marinara-sauce.html) or whatever tomato based sauce you like best.

When the meat is done, place it on top of the sauce, cover with more sauce, and sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese.  I also like to add a little bit of smoked cheese to the dish (mozzarella, fontina or provolone).

Put this into a 425 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes until the cheese melts and gets bubbly.

Serve with a side of pasta.

Chicken/Veal Marsala

An Italian restaurant staple -- but soooo easy to make in your own home.

Start with breaded chicken or veal cutlets:  http://judyfoodislove.blogspot.com/2014/09/breaded-chicken-cutlets.html.

Using the same pan, add 1-2 more tbsp. of olive oil, one shallot which you've sliced thinly, and 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms (I like Baby Bellas, but white button are fine too).  Cook these until the mushrooms start to wilt and then turn the heat up to medium/high.

Add 1 cup of marsala wine (a $5-6 bottle is more than good enough for cooking, but do NOT buy anything labled "cooking wine" because it's full of extra salt).  Be very careful if you're cooking on a gas stove because it might flame up.

Let the wine reduce by about 50% and then rewarm the meat in the sauce so that it's thoroughly coated.

Serve with the remaining sauce and mushroom mixture spooned over the meat and enjoy!

Chicken/Veal picatta

Ingredients:

Breaded  chicken or veal cutlets:  http://judyfoodislove.blogspot.com/2014/09/breaded-chicken-cutlets.html. 

2/3 cup dry white wine
Juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon of capers

After cooking up the cutlets, turn the heat up to medium/high and without washing the pan, add the white wine and lemon juice.  If you're using a gas stove it might flame up because of the alcohol so stand back.

When the liquids have reduced by about 50%, add the capers and swirl them around.  Then add back in the meat for a minute or two so that it can re-warm and soak up the sauce.

Serve right away, pouring the extra liquid and capers over each piece.

Breaded chicken/veal cutlets

So simple . . . and so good.  A wonderful staple for any week night, and even the pickiest of kids will usually eat them.  And also the base for many delicious chicken dishes that are easy to make.

1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 pound of boneless chicken breasts, trimmed into 1/4 inch slices OR
1 pound of veal scallopine, pounded thin
1 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs  (you can buy these pre-made and Progresso's are the best.   But you can also take plain bread crumbs and add some grated parmesan cheese, pepper and oregano and make your own)
Olive oil

In one shallow soup sized bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.

Place the breadcrumbs in another similarly shaped bowl.

Heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet until it's smoking, and then turn it to medium and let it sit for a minute.

Dip the meal in the egg/milk mixture, one piece at a time and let any excess drain off the meat.

Then cover the cutlet in bread crumbs, and shake off any excess before placing it gently in the pan, so you don't splatter yourself with the hot oil.

Cook on one side for 4-5  minutes, until it's nicely browned, and then turn it over, cooking again for 4-5 minutes, until it's browned.

Place the cutlets on a paper towel to drain off excess oil before serving.

Product Review -- Trader Joe's Chicken Sausages

I am one of those people who likes to put out a home cooked meal most nights of the week.  I think it encourages good eating habits, helps to teach kids good manners (though you'd never know that some nights at our house!), and I love the time we have sharing stories of our days. 

But my husband and I both work full time, and while I have a great arrangement with work and leave at 4:30 most days so I can be home for dinner, I don't have the time to make a complicated meal -- some nights, I come home to a house full of starving people and have no more than 20 minutes to put dinner on the table (Rachel Ray, eat your heart out!)

One of my standby main courses is Trader Joe's chicken sausages.  Here's a link to their Sweet Italian Style Sausage, http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=1609, which is definitely good, but there are other versions I like even better.

My favorite is the Smoked Sausages with Apple and Chardonnay -- they have the taste of a good kielbasa, with a little sweet from the apples.  I love them with some honey-mustard on the side.

The Basil Pesto version is also fabulous -- tastes just as you'd expect!  They're great as is, but could also be served with some marinara sauce for dipping.

If you like some fire in your sausage, they have a chicken Andouille that really hits the spot -- either alone or in your version of jambalaya, they're fabulous.

There are a few other versions that I haven't tried, but I like them for the ease of cooking (7-10 minutes on the grill or in a skillet and they're done), and the relative health of them (the fat content is low and the sodium content isn't bad for a sausage).

Keep a few packs in your freezer -- you'll love them.!

Pot Roast

This is actually one of my favorite Sunday night meals . . . I start it simmering early in the day and the house smells so good all day long.  It's so satisfying at the end of a cold winter day.

This recipe will feed 4-6 people.  You can adjust as needed.

2 pounds of chuck beef (you need a cut with a fair amount of fat and connective tissue so it will melt into the meat and be really tender -- don't mess around with a "better" cut of beef because quite frankly, it won't be nearly as good).
1 large onion, cut into chunks
3 stalks of celery, diced
3-4 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 large potatoes, or 4-6 smaller ones, washed and cut into bite sized pieces (no need to peel if they're well-washed)
salt and pepper
1 tsp. each of dried thyme and rosemary
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 pint of mushrooms, sliced (I like Baby Bellas, but white button are just fine too)
2 tbsp. flour

Sprinkle the beef on both sides with liberal amounts of salt and pepper and in a skillet, brown it on both sides in olive oil.  (this step and the next can be skipped and you can put everything straight into the crock pot or pot you'll use to simmer, but it does add some extra flavor).

Once it's done, saute the veggies (except for the peas and mushrooms) in the same pan, until they brown and pick up all the bits of meat on them.  (also optional, but yummy for developing more flavor).  Sprinkle them with  just a bit of salt to release the water in the veggies.

Put the beef in the bottom of your cooking vessel, cover with the veggies, add the remaining herbs, and cover with the chicken broth.

Set your crock pot for low and simmer for 6 hours, or set your oven burner on low and also simmer for 6 hours.

When the time is up, gently remove the pot roast, and cover it with foil to let the meat rest.   Sprinkle the flour into the broth and veggies and whisk it  until it's all incorporated into the broth.   Add the peas and mushrooms, and cook for another 20 minutes. 

Just before serving, gently slice the pot roast with the grain of the meat -- it should really just fall apart by this time.   Put some gravy over the top of it and serve the rest of the gravy and veggies as a side dish.

I love serving mashed potatoes with this meal, but egg noodles are great too.  

Crock Pot "Roasted" Chicken

It's back to school time and I'm seeing more and more requests for crock-pot meals for busy parents who want to come home to a meal that's already to be served.

I've posted some others in the past (beef stew, pulled pork, etc . . .) but you can also "roast" an entire chicken in a crock pot and it comes out moist and delicious.   And it's easy!

Line the bottom of the crock pot with one onion, cut into large slices, 3 celery stalks, and 2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced in half.  Sprinkle with a little bit of salt, just to release the water in the chicken.

Season your chicken as you usually do  (here's how I like to do mine -- brining is optional, but does improve flavor and juiciness -- http://judyfoodislove.blogspot.com/2013/10/roasted-chicken.html.) 

Place the chicken on top of the veggies, cover your pot, turn it on, and let it cook for 6 hours.

The meat will be fully cooked and fall-off-the-bone tender.  But the skin will be (there's no other word for it) flaccid.   You can simply peel off the skin, or if you'd like, put it underneath the broiler for 2-3 minutes to crisp it up.

There will not be adequate juices or fond in the pot to make gravy.  You could do a little bit of pan gravy with chicken stock if you'd like:

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil, and whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour.  Once it's cooked for a minute or two, whisk in a cup of chicken stock and keep whisking until it's reached the temperature and consistency you like.   You could use a little white wine or lemon juice for extra flavor as well.

Hope this makes your weeknight dinners a little more special!

Pasta alla Putanesca

This is an extremely flavorful and bold pasta sauce and the name literally means "of the whore" because of no holds barred flavors.   It's also very easy to make, so I suggest you cook up a pot and enjoy!

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
8 anchovy filets or two tablespoons of anchovy paste
2 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
1 cup of kalamata olives, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of capers, drained
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 tablespoon of red pepper flakes

Heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, garlic and anchovies -- saute until the veggies are translucent and the anchovies have all but dissolved into the oil (they'll take on a wonderfully toasty flavor).  Add the red pepper flakes at this point and saute for another minute.

Then add the rest of the ingredients, and once it comes up to a low boil, turn the heat down to medium/low and simmer for 40-60 minutes.

Can be served over any pasta, but I like it with spaghetti, bucatini or some other hearty long past.

Fish filets al fresco

This dish came to be one night when I had some left-over bruschetta topping in the fridge, and some tilapia filets I needed to cook.  It was so good that a devoted fish disliker in my neighborhood, decided that she might actually like fish after all!

Any kind of basic fish filet (tilapia, flounder, sole, etc) and dredge them in cornmeal that is lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.

Saute the fish filets in olive oil or, to save calories, cooking spray like Pam.

Then top with bruschetta topping and serve:

1 pound of tomatoes (if it's the summer, use a farmer's market tomato if at all possible.  If not, use grape tomatoes) diced into small pieces.
1 tablespoon of fresh basil, minced
1/4 small red onion, minced
1/4 tsp. kosher salt and a few grinds of fresh cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

Mix the topping together and let it sit for at least 30 minutes, preferably not in the refrigerator. 

Rosemary/Mustard Potato Salad

Continuing my quest for alternative potato salads, this weekend I made yet another new version that was very well received.

2 pounds of red-skin potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/8 cup of red wine vinegar

Boil the potatoes whole, until fork tender (about 20 minutes on a full boil) and when they've cooled slightly, cut them into large bite sized pieces (generally, cut them into quarters, but for larger potatoes, cut as needed).

Combine all the other ingredients in a small bowl, whisking together to emulsify them, and toss with the cut potatoes while they're still warm (because they will absorb the dressing better and flavor the whole potato).

Let this sit for at least a few hours (if not overnight) before serving, and make sure it's not ice cold when serving.