Chicken Parm

As diverse and progressive as some parts of the community I grew up in are, there are a few sects I did not gain great culinary exposure to. A classmate's dad came in 2nd grade to explain Hannukah and make latkes, an Afghani restaurant popped up between visits home from college, Lotte Plaza served a large Korean population--yet oddly enough, and despite a fair share of peers with Italian last names and heritage, I never experienced a true Italian Grandmother style meal until I got to Philadelphia.

Growing up, when we had pasta for dinner, my mother nearly always made her own sauce, some garlic and oil in a pan, can of tomatoes, salt and pepper and a bit of sugar, served over Barilla (we always wanted angel hair). There was usually a piece of Italian sausage on the side.  I always felt my Mom's sauce was the best, and when I first made that assertion to some college classmate with first and last names littered with vowels, I was subsequently laughed out of the room.  Every once in a while on a busy weeknight we had a Prego vegetarian lasagne (don't knock it until you've tried it).  There were lots of Italian "subs" from Ledo's on Friday nights, but nowhere near the per capita "hoagie" consumption I've witnessed in Philly. Come to think of it, I ate it, and loved it, but if you had said, "capicola, prosciutto, mortadella, salami" to me then, I would have only recognized one of the four, and maybe put the sandwich down before I got more clarification on the other three. Oh, and pasta parties the night before big HS sports games were weekly, but there was a lot of professional catering, jarred sauce, and frozen meatballs being passed around.

My nieces and nephews will be a 1/4 Italian, so I know my love for all things Italian-American will only continue to grow. I still don't understand what exactly "gravy" is, I stand by it being something that belongs on turkey, but I do know what a "cutlet" is, and what "Sugo Sunday" looks like (although I'm not always entirely sure what's in the pot). I've learned that is OK to occasionally eat more than one sausage, as well as a meatball, and a short rib in one sitting, and you don't really have to skip the bread basket if you want to indulge in dessert.

I have a go-to meatball recipe, sausage and peppers are regularly put in a big fry pan when I'm at a loss for how to feed a large group, and I've cranked out several batches of homemade pasta in the past couple months.  Recently, I tried my luck at chicken parm, homemade start to finish (minus a jar of sauce, a real Italian might of had some in the fridge/freezer on standby). I had plans to run 13.1 miles the next morning, so I figured no better time to carb load.

There was a lot that needed to be prepped ahead for this meal-- sauce, the breaded and fried chicken, the fresh pasta--so I formed a plan of attack. I bet a real Italian Grandmother could whip up chicken parm with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back in a kitchen that wasn't her own, but I wanted to be organized and not kill the zen I was building up for the next day's activities.

I started with the pasta. A scant cup of flour and an egg per person, with tsps of water as needed to get the dough to form. Once I had the dough ready, I covered it to let it rest for a bit while I worked on the chicken. I had two large breasts (wishful thinking), so I sliced them in half into four cutlets, and stamped them out with the tenderizer a bit. I set up three bowls in a line, in this order, flour with salt and pepper, a couple eggs lightly beaten, and Italian breadcrumbs, and got all the cutlets breaded and ready for the hot tub. I cleaned up the mess, washed my hands, and returned my attention to the pasta. The dough had time to rest, so it was nice and elastic. I rolled it through the pasta machine, set it aside.  At that point, I was ready to get rolling.

Let the dough rest after kneading for a few min so it gets its elasticity back 

I added a little extra flour once it was cut to prevent it from sticking together

I set a pot of water to boil on a back burner, and began heating up oil on a front burner. I made the mistake of just resting the chicken cutlets fried of a plate with a paper towel, which made the bottom sort of soggy, so I would suggest setting up a jelly roll pan with a wire cooling rack over it at this point instead. I also turned the oven on at this point so I could roast some broccoli.

could do this a few hours ahead

crunchy crust is key to hold up against sauce and chz

I fried the chicken cutlets for a few minutes on each side--probably about three minutes per. They were pretty thin, and there is nothing worse than overcooked chicken, but I wanted to get the breadcrumbs nice and brown and crispy. Don't leave them in the oil too long, because you will overcook the chicken as it still needs to go under the broiler to melt the cheese on top. I didn't use that large of a pan, so I did the cutlets in two batches. 

Once the chicken is fried, let it rest for a few seconds on the cooling rack you placed over the jelly roll pan so the coating can crisp up. At this point, you also want to heat up your sauce (but not all of it, leave some cold for putting on top of the chicken before it goes in the oven). I used cold sauce to top the chicken cutlets because when it's hot, it tends to run all over the place.  I put about 1/3 cup of sauce on each cutlet, then topped with lots of shredded mozzarella.  I used the shredded stuff out of the bag because I had it, but slices of fresh would also be lovely. Turn on the broiler and once the broiler heats up, drop that pasta in the water, which should be boiling at this point. After you drop the pasta in, get the chicken with the sauce and cheese under the broiler. The pasta will barely take 2 minutes, so be ready to pull that and drain it, and the chicken probably took 3-4 minutes to melt the cheese on top. Everything came together REALLY fast for me at this point, but I was cooking for myself, so I was able to persevere through several minutes of madness without anyone asking if they should dial 911.

nom nom nom nom nom

I roasted some broccoli tossed with olive oil, chopped garlic and red pepper flakes as a side and it all came together to be an excellent meal. I left two of the cutlets without sauce and cheese and stuck them in the freezer, and made two portions of the chicken parm, one for that night before the race and one for the night after. 

Although there is no way to avoid last minute cooking, a lot of this could be done ahead of time. A favorite jarred sauce (I like Lidia Bastianich's)  is perfectly acceptable, as well as a box of dried pasta. The chicken cutlets could be breaded and fried a couple days in advance and stuck in the freezer, or done before guests arrive, so once they are there, they just need toppings and the broiler. It could be made very kid friendly using chicken tenders, or chopping the cutlets up into smaller pieces to resemble nuggets. Also, as heavy the meal seems, I left the table feeling full, but not sick. I think portion control is the key. At a restaurant, you would likely get 1/2 lb of pasta and a couple cutlets--- but you really don't need that much if you factor in a salad or hearty veggie side. 

I did the broccoli ahead of time and served it at room temp with the meal

I am looking forward to making this again, and for a larger group. Mangia! 

Thanksgiving

As much as Thanksgiving revolves around old traditions, it is an exquisite opportunity for making new traditions. Growing up, I loved my family’s Thanksgiving traditions---Margarette Ave, two large dining tables, a walk down to Loch Raven Reservoir, Auntie C’s sweet potatoes, A’s scones, Grandma’s stuffing, and Top Gun blaring in the background (don’t ask). Thanksgiving wouldn’t have felt like Thanksgiving without all these things. As life and stages of life started to change, the traditions suddenly did not seem as important. The first year we missed Thanksgiving was to visit my sister who was studying abroad in Galway (wasn’t going to turn that down for turkey). The next year, I missed it because I was studying abroad in Galway (and managed to put together a celebration courtesy of Marks and Sparks). The next year, I was a vegetarian (and also someone that doesn’t particularly care for mashed potatoes). The next year, I was working in the UK (although I did manage to enjoy three expat turkey day celebrations). 

The year I returned from abroad, Thanksgiving was still on Margarette Ave, complete with seating for over twenty, Kenny Loggins booming, and all the familiar foods, but my Grandmother was gone.  We still held the celebration in her house as it was being prepared to be sold, but it was the beginning of the end of Thanksgiving traditions as I had known them all my life.  In the past couple years, the large ranch house on Margarette Ave was sold, “the children” have become married adults with in-laws, and cousins redistributed themselves on both coasts.  It’s been back to the drawing board as we have all had to rethink our fourth Thursday of November game plan.

This year, my sister and her husband offered to host in Philadelphia.  Thanksgivings of the past were a mix of up to forty family, friends, and the occasional strays, eating done in shifts. Our celebration this year was six people seated at the dining table all at once. We did all the cooking day of.  We started the day with breakfast sandwiches and fresh squeezed blood orange mimosas (perks of living within walking distance to Whole Foods) instead of a trip to the Columbia gym.  T smoked a turkey and made a fresh herb rub.  There was no celery in the stuffing. The mashed potatoes were homemade (talk to A about that one). Buzz made pecan bars.

Cheers to new traditions!

I think one of the best parts of being able to form new traditions, besides the introduction of a family member that is capable of smoking a turkey and my brother taking an interest in baking, is the opportunity to try new recipes. I first made these green beans for the “Second Thanksgiving” my family would hold at our house so we could actually have leftovers.   It was one of those straight from the couch watching Food Network to going to the grocery store for ingredients kind of moments. We never had green beans, or green bean casserole at our traditional Thanksgiving (nor did we have marshmallows on our sweet potatoes), but I was confident this recipe would pass muster with my family. After all, it had fried shallots of top! What could be classier than fried shallots?

This year, after a couple years of following Alex Guarnaschelli’s instructions more or less to a T, I found myself missing ingredients and without any motivation to make a run to the grocery store. I had purchased the green beans, mushrooms, and shallots (the main bits) a few days before, but I failed to double check for sour cream or Dijon mustard.  I had just been in Whole Foods that morning picking up breakfast supplies, and despite the signs all over  the store reminding shoppers, “don't forget the cream!” or asking, "do you need rolls?”, the previous evening’s hangover and crippling anxiety over choosing a variety of organic breakfast meat prevented thorough thinking.  

Fuel for the day

Here is the original recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/stovetop-green-bean-casserole-recipe/index.html

Post hot tub

Not your momma's green bean casserole

You should try the original recipe, but if you happen to be lacking sour cream, or Dijon mustard, here is my solution.  I ended up using mayonnaise instead of sour cream and the last scrapes of a jar of Dijon plus some hot and sweet mustard.  Also, instead of cayenne, red pepper flakes.  I used more green beans than the recipe calls for, because I believe there is too much sauce for just one pound of green beans.

Non-Traditional Stove Top Green Bean Casserole

1 ¼ - 1 ½ lbs Green beans, trimmed

1 lb white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced into ½ in slices

2 tbs mustard – any kind except yellow mustard which simply won’t cut it

2 cloves garlic, 3 if you like

1 tsp red pepper flakes

3 tbs flour

1 cup chicken stock

¾ cups heavy cream

2/3 cup mayonnaise

3 medium shallots, thinly sliced

Another ¼ cup flour

2-4 cups oil

Salt and pepper

Set up a bowl of ice water with a strainer in it.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the green beans for 3-4 minutes.   Once the beans are blanched, transfer them to the bowl of ice water so they stop cooking. Allow to cool, then remove from ice water (using the strainer will make this easier, but you can also just add straight into a bowl of ice water and use a slotted spoon to remove them directly from a bowl of ice water) Set aside.

Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, and heavy cream together in a bowl and set aside. Melt a couple tbs of butter in a pan and add the slice mushrooms. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the red pepper flakes and sauté for a couple more minutes. Add the flour, and fully incorporate. Add the stock, stir to mix in with flour and mushrooms, and bring to a simmer for about 2 minutes. Stir in the mayo, mustard, and heavy cream mixture and bring back to a simmer, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Season to taste. Keep warm over low heat while you prepare the shallots.

While the sauce is simmering, heat up oil to fry the shallots. Toss the slice shallots with flour, salt, and pepper. Once the oil is hot enough for frying (test it with a shallot, it should bubble and pop), add the shallots. Make sure to shake off the excess flour as you put the shallots in, and try to break them up and separate them before adding to the pan, and monitor the heat of the oil (might want to turn down to medium). When they turn golden/medium brown, remove from oil with a slotted pan and place on a plate covered with a paper towel.

Add the green beans to the sauce, stir, and heat over low heat until heated through.  Serve topped with the fried shallots.