Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana

Here's another Italian American favorite. It's a very easy dish to make and everyone loves it. It's also another great way to use up leftovers. If you know how to make marinara sauce and you know how to fry up some chicken cutlets you can make this dish. In fact, I've already given you the recipes to make this dish in other posts. You just have to put it together. I'll repost the recipes for Chicken Milanese (Breaded Chicken Cutlets) and Marinara sauce here for you. Serve with spaghetti and marinara sauce and a salad and you have a delicious meal.

Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana

Ingredients:

Chicken Cutlets prepared Milanese style (aka - breaded and fried, See below
Marinara sauce, prepared, See Below
shredded mozzarella
romano cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan or baking sheet (with high sides, like a jelly roll pan), ladle enough sauce to cover bottom of pan. Add chicken cutlets, cover with sauce, sprinkle with cheese and top with mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and brown.





SORRY - I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE OF JUST THE CHICKEN WITH THE SAUCE BUT YOU GET THE IDEA, RIGHT?



Chicken Milanese

Ingredients:

chicken cutlets
2 eggs
splash of milk
salt and pepper
romano cheese
parsley (fresh or dried)
garlic powder
canola oil, for frying

Directions:

1. Beat eggs and mix with milk, salt, pepper and garlic powder and a few teaspoons of cheese.

2. In another dish mix breadcrumbs with garlic powder, parsley and about 1/4 cup romano cheese (maybe more).

3. Dip cutlets in egg mixture (let excess drip off) and then cover with breadcrumbs pressing down with your hands to get the breadcrumbs to adhere to chicken. Do this on both sides.

4. If you have extra egg mixture and breadcrums you can make bread patties or polpette (that's what Nanny called them). Add the breadcrumbs to the egg and mix it together with a fork. Once combined form little patties with your hands.

5. Let oil get very hot. Make sure you use enough oil to completely cover the pan and go up the sides a little bit. You don't want to keep adding cold oil to the pan because it will drop the temperature and the cutlets will absorb too much oil. Fry cutlets (and bread patties if making) until browned. Turn and cook the other side.

6. As your cutlets and patties are done add them to a paper towel lined plate and put a piece of paper towel between each layer to absorb excess oil.

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
4 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
3 tsp chopped fresh basil (use less if dried)
1-2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
extra virgin olive oil

*Note - When using dried herbs don't double the amount exactly if you want to double the recipe. It may overpower the sauce.

Feel free to use fresh frozen or dried herbs. Sometimes I use the Italian Seasoning but this time I didn't because I didn't want it to overpower the flavor of the kale. It's a preference, it will be good either way.

Directions:

Sweat onions in extra virgin olive oil and then add garlic in oil. Let it cook for a minute or to and then add crushed red pepper and frozen or dried herbs. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar. If using fresh herbs add now. Let it come to a boil and then lower heat. Cook on medium for 30-40 minutes. Taste it and adjust seasoning as needed.

Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana

Here's another Italian American favorite. It's a very easy dish to make and everyone loves it. It's also another great way to use up leftovers. If you know how to make marinara sauce and you know how to fry up some chicken cutlets you can make this dish. In fact, I've already given you the recipes to make this dish in other posts. You just have to put it together. I'll repost the recipes for Chicken Milanese (Breaded Chicken Cutlets) and Marinara sauce here for you. Serve with spaghetti and marinara sauce and a salad and you have a delicious meal.

Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana

Ingredients:

Chicken Cutlets prepared Milanese style (aka - breaded and fried, See below
Marinara sauce, prepared, See Below
shredded mozzarella
romano cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan or baking sheet (with high sides, like a jelly roll pan), ladle enough sauce to cover bottom of pan. Add chicken cutlets, cover with sauce, sprinkle with cheese and top with mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and brown.





SORRY - I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE OF JUST THE CHICKEN WITH THE SAUCE BUT YOU GET THE IDEA, RIGHT?



Chicken Milanese

Ingredients:

chicken cutlets
2 eggs
splash of milk
salt and pepper
romano cheese
parsley (fresh or dried)
garlic powder
canola oil, for frying

Directions:

1. Beat eggs and mix with milk, salt, pepper and garlic powder and a few teaspoons of cheese.

2. In another dish mix breadcrumbs with garlic powder, parsley and about 1/4 cup romano cheese (maybe more).

3. Dip cutlets in egg mixture (let excess drip off) and then cover with breadcrumbs pressing down with your hands to get the breadcrumbs to adhere to chicken. Do this on both sides.

4. If you have extra egg mixture and breadcrums you can make bread patties or polpette (that's what Nanny called them). Add the breadcrumbs to the egg and mix it together with a fork. Once combined form little patties with your hands.

5. Let oil get very hot. Make sure you use enough oil to completely cover the pan and go up the sides a little bit. You don't want to keep adding cold oil to the pan because it will drop the temperature and the cutlets will absorb too much oil. Fry cutlets (and bread patties if making) until browned. Turn and cook the other side.

6. As your cutlets and patties are done add them to a paper towel lined plate and put a piece of paper towel between each layer to absorb excess oil.

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
4 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
3 tsp chopped fresh basil (use less if dried)
1-2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
extra virgin olive oil

*Note - When using dried herbs don't double the amount exactly if you want to double the recipe. It may overpower the sauce.

Feel free to use fresh frozen or dried herbs. Sometimes I use the Italian Seasoning but this time I didn't because I didn't want it to overpower the flavor of the kale. It's a preference, it will be good either way.

Directions:

Sweat onions in extra virgin olive oil and then add garlic in oil. Let it cook for a minute or to and then add crushed red pepper and frozen or dried herbs. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar. If using fresh herbs add now. Let it come to a boil and then lower heat. Cook on medium for 30-40 minutes. Taste it and adjust seasoning as needed.

Angela's Pasta with Kale

Last week I bought the October issue of Bon Apetit Magazine and loved the article I read about Kale. I never had Kale before and it made me really curious. I posted this on facebook and I got a reply from Angela to try her Pasta with Kale recipe. I've known Angela pretty much my entire life, you see, we used to live across the street from each other in Brooklyn and then a few blocks from each other in Staten Island. Angela and John have 4 children and their ages all coincide with the ages of my brother, sister and I. So we are all very close. My parents are very good friends with Angela and John and Marie their youngest is my best friend. I can't begin to tell you about the memories that she and I have. We grew up together and have been through it all. I think I may have mentioned that growing up I was a very picky eater. Poor Angela. All the weekends (and weeks in the summer) that I spent at her house, being a picky brat. If only I knew all the things I was missing by being afraid to try things! Looks like this dish was one of them! Too bad it took me 29 years to figure that out. Better late than never, right?

I am so excited that I tried this dish and loved it. It gave me so many ideas for future recipes. Normally when I make soup I start with chicken stock and add some tomato product (sauce, paste, fresh chopped tomatoes, etc.) to give it a little pink color and some rich tomato flavor. Angela does it a little different. She starts with a marinara sauce and then adds pasta water until it's the consistency she likes. I've used pasta water before to make sauces or as a thickner but never like this. I thought that it would taste great with an addition of canellini beans, using any green you have on hand, as the base of a minestrone, etc. Thanks Angela for teaching me something new and opening me up to endless possibilities. Isn't it great that I'm no longer a picky eater?

Next time I will use two bunches of kale because I loved the flavor, I think that's what you should do too. Angela uses broken spaghetti in this dish which is great. I love making lentils like that too. Most Italian stores now carry bags of broken spaghetti so you don't have to do it yourself. If you'd like you can use any soup pasta such and tubettini, ditalini, small shells, etc.

To remove kale from the stem Angela says, "Take kale off the stem by placing your hand at the bottom of stalk,hold firmly, and with the other hand cupped around the bottom push to the top of the stem. The kale comes off easily." She's right, it was very easy!




Angela's Pasta with Kale

Ingredients:

2 bunches kale, washed and leaves removed from the stems
1 pound broken spaghetti
Marinara Sauce, see below

Directions:

1. Prepare Marinara sauce in a large pot. Later on you're going to add the kale and pasta to this pot so make sure it's big enough.

2. In another large pot boil kale for about 15 minutes in boiling salted water. Kale is ready when you can easily pierce it with a fork. Remove kale with a slotted spoon and put on a baking sheet to cool. Once it's cool, chop cooked kale into bite sized pieces and add it to the sauce. Stir to combine.

3. In the same pot that you cooked the kale, cook broken spaghetti until al dente. Ladle pasta plus some water into the sauce until it becomes a thick soup like consistency. Once you have all the pasta water you want to use already in the pot you can drain the rest of the pasta and add it to your sauce and kalem stir to combine. (Another way you can do this is drain the pasta and reserve some of the water and add it to the sauce - but I suggest the other way until you are familiar with how much water you want. You don't want to run into not having enough starchy pasta water)

4. Sprinkle in a couple of tablespoons of your favorite cheese (I love Romano) and mix it in. Dish into bowls and pass around more cheese if you like. (I like lots of cheese in my soup)





Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
4 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
3 tsp chopped basil
1-2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
extra virgin olive oil

Feel free to use fresh frozen or dried herbs. Sometimes I use the Italian Seasoning but this time I didn't because I didn't want it to overpower the flavor of the kale. It's a preference, it will be good either way.

Directions:


Sweat onions in extra virgin olive oil and then add garlic in oil. Let it cook for a minute or to and then add crushed red pepper and frozen or dried herbs. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar. If using fresh herbs add now. Let it come to a boil and then lower heat. Cook on medium for 30-40 minutes. Taste it and adjust seasoning as needed.

Angela's Pasta with Kale

Last week I bought the October issue of Bon Apetit Magazine and loved the article I read about Kale. I never had Kale before and it made me really curious. I posted this on facebook and I got a reply from Angela to try her Pasta with Kale recipe. I've known Angela pretty much my entire life, you see, we used to live across the street from each other in Brooklyn and then a few blocks from each other in Staten Island. Angela and John have 4 children and their ages all coincide with the ages of my brother, sister and I. So we are all very close. My parents are very good friends with Angela and John and Marie their youngest is my best friend. I can't begin to tell you about the memories that she and I have. We grew up together and have been through it all. I think I may have mentioned that growing up I was a very picky eater. Poor Angela. All the weekends (and weeks in the summer) that I spent at her house, being a picky brat. If only I knew all the things I was missing by being afraid to try things! Looks like this dish was one of them! Too bad it took me 29 years to figure that out. Better late than never, right?

I am so excited that I tried this dish and loved it. It gave me so many ideas for future recipes. Normally when I make soup I start with chicken stock and add some tomato product (sauce, paste, fresh chopped tomatoes, etc.) to give it a little pink color and some rich tomato flavor. Angela does it a little different. She starts with a marinara sauce and then adds pasta water until it's the consistency she likes. I've used pasta water before to make sauces or as a thickner but never like this. I thought that it would taste great with an addition of canellini beans, using any green you have on hand, as the base of a minestrone, etc. Thanks Angela for teaching me something new and opening me up to endless possibilities. Isn't it great that I'm no longer a picky eater?

Next time I will use two bunches of kale because I loved the flavor, I think that's what you should do too. Angela uses broken spaghetti in this dish which is great. I love making lentils like that too. Most Italian stores now carry bags of broken spaghetti so you don't have to do it yourself. If you'd like you can use any soup pasta such and tubettini, ditalini, small shells, etc.

To remove kale from the stem Angela says, "Take kale off the stem by placing your hand at the bottom of stalk,hold firmly, and with the other hand cupped around the bottom push to the top of the stem. The kale comes off easily." She's right, it was very easy!




Angela's Pasta with Kale

Ingredients:

2 bunches kale, washed and leaves removed from the stems
1 pound broken spaghetti
Marinara Sauce, see below

Directions:

1. Prepare Marinara sauce in a large pot. Later on you're going to add the kale and pasta to this pot so make sure it's big enough.

2. In another large pot boil kale for about 15 minutes in boiling salted water. Kale is ready when you can easily pierce it with a fork. Remove kale with a slotted spoon and put on a baking sheet to cool. Once it's cool, chop cooked kale into bite sized pieces and add it to the sauce. Stir to combine.

3. In the same pot that you cooked the kale, cook broken spaghetti until al dente. Ladle pasta plus some water into the sauce until it becomes a thick soup like consistency. Once you have all the pasta water you want to use already in the pot you can drain the rest of the pasta and add it to your sauce and kalem stir to combine. (Another way you can do this is drain the pasta and reserve some of the water and add it to the sauce - but I suggest the other way until you are familiar with how much water you want. You don't want to run into not having enough starchy pasta water)

4. Sprinkle in a couple of tablespoons of your favorite cheese (I love Romano) and mix it in. Dish into bowls and pass around more cheese if you like. (I like lots of cheese in my soup)





Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
4 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
3 tsp chopped basil
1-2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
extra virgin olive oil

Feel free to use fresh frozen or dried herbs. Sometimes I use the Italian Seasoning but this time I didn't because I didn't want it to overpower the flavor of the kale. It's a preference, it will be good either way.

Directions:


Sweat onions in extra virgin olive oil and then add garlic in oil. Let it cook for a minute or to and then add crushed red pepper and frozen or dried herbs. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar. If using fresh herbs add now. Let it come to a boil and then lower heat. Cook on medium for 30-40 minutes. Taste it and adjust seasoning as needed.

Italian Chicken and Spinach Patties and Garlic Wine Sauce

Ever wonder what to make with ground chicken besides, chili, meatballs and burgers? I do all the time and when I ask people reply "the same things you would make with ground beef." I get that but I want something different. That's how this recipe was born. As always you can change this recipe to suit your tastebuds. Other options would be a marsala sauce (with or without the mushrooms), caramelized onion topping, mix in some feta cheese and use greek seasonings, use moroccan seasonings and serve it over couscous, the possibilities are endless.


Italian Chicken Patties and Garlic Wine Sauce

Yields: 6 patties

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken
1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, squeezed and drained
1 egg, beaten
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
approx 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
Italian seasoning
garlic powder
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup of chicken stock
wondra flour
shredded mozzarella (swiss or fontina would be good too), optional.

Directions:

1. Saute onion and 3 cloves minced garlic in olive oil and set aside to cool. In a large bowl combine ground chicken, drained spinach, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, egg and breadcrumbs. Mix with your hands to combine all seasonings. If mixture is very wet add more breadcrumbs. It will remain sticky.

2. Preheat oven to 350. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet. Form patties and gently place in oil and let cook until browned, turn over and cook the other side. When all patties are browned place on a baking sheet and continue to cook in oven (to make sure the chicken is cooked all the way)while you make the sauce.

3. Heat 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter in pan, add 2 cloves minced garlic and cook over medium low heat, (do not burn or garlic will turn bitter). Add wine and let reduce by half, then add chicken stock. Let sauce cook down and reduce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you want the sauce to be thicker stir in some wondra flour.

4. Return patties to pan with sauce, turning to coat both sides. If desired, top with some shredded mozzarella and put the pan under the broiler to melt.

Italian Chicken and Spinach Patties and Garlic Wine Sauce

Ever wonder what to make with ground chicken besides, chili, meatballs and burgers? I do all the time and when I ask people reply "the same things you would make with ground beef." I get that but I want something different. That's how this recipe was born. As always you can change this recipe to suit your tastebuds. Other options would be a marsala sauce (with or without the mushrooms), caramelized onion topping, mix in some feta cheese and use greek seasonings, use moroccan seasonings and serve it over couscous, the possibilities are endless.


Italian Chicken Patties and Garlic Wine Sauce

Yields: 6 patties

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken
1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, squeezed and drained
1 egg, beaten
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
approx 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
Italian seasoning
garlic powder
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup of chicken stock
wondra flour
shredded mozzarella (swiss or fontina would be good too), optional.

Directions:

1. Saute onion and 3 cloves minced garlic in olive oil and set aside to cool. In a large bowl combine ground chicken, drained spinach, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, egg and breadcrumbs. Mix with your hands to combine all seasonings. If mixture is very wet add more breadcrumbs. It will remain sticky.

2. Preheat oven to 350. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet. Form patties and gently place in oil and let cook until browned, turn over and cook the other side. When all patties are browned place on a baking sheet and continue to cook in oven (to make sure the chicken is cooked all the way)while you make the sauce.

3. Heat 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter in pan, add 2 cloves minced garlic and cook over medium low heat, (do not burn or garlic will turn bitter). Add wine and let reduce by half, then add chicken stock. Let sauce cook down and reduce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you want the sauce to be thicker stir in some wondra flour.

4. Return patties to pan with sauce, turning to coat both sides. If desired, top with some shredded mozzarella and put the pan under the broiler to melt.

Lidia's Chicken Francese - An Italian American Classic

I don't know if this is a popular dish in Italy but I do know that there isn't a restaurant or a pizzeria that doesn't make this dish. I rarely order it though. Not because I don't like this dish, I love it, but I don't like to order things out that I think are too easy or that I make at home. Who wants to pay for a dish you know you're capable of making for half the price? Not me!

Whenever I make francese, piccata, marsala or saltimbocca, I always use chicken cutlets (sometimes labeled scallopine) but this time I cut the chicken breasts myself. Every time I do it I realize that it's just a waste of time. I'm not sure if it saves money or not but I don't think it's worth it. More dishes to clean and bleach (I bleach everything that touches chicken) and it's not the easiest thing to do. I ended up tearing them a bit and had trouble cutting them evenly. Maybe it will be easier for you but I much rather use cutlets that are nice and thin and easy.

This recipe comes from Lidia's Italian American Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich. It's on of my favorite cookbooks because it has so many classics. If you're ever watched Lidia on tv you know how awesome she is. She is such a pleasure to watch, she's always so relaxed and her recipes are incredible. Here's one of my favorites.


Lidia's Chicken Francese

Source: Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen
by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning the sauce
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning the sauce
4 servings Veal, Chicken, Turkey or Pork Scaloppine (2 breasts halved and pounded or 1 package cutlets)
all-purpose flour
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup vegetable oil
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 lemon, cut into very thin slices, pits removed
1/2 cup dry white wine
juice of 1 lemon
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions:

1. Whisk the eggs, milk, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a wide bowl until blended. Dredge the scallopine in flour to coat both sides lightly and tap off the excess flour. Heat the olive and vegetable oils in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip into the egg batter as many of the scallpine as will fit in the pan without touching. Let excess batter drip back into the bowl and place them into the skillet. Fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes. Adjust the heat as the scallopine cook so they brown slowly and evenly, with a steady bubbling. (If the heat is too high, the egg coating will scorch and the bits of batter that stick to the pan will burn, turning the sauce bitter.) Drain the scallopine on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining scallopine and egg coating.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and pour off the oil. Carefully wipe out the pan with a wad of paper towels and add half the butter. When the butter is melted, return the pan to the heat and scatter the lemon slices over the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring gently occasionally, until the lemon slices are golden, about 3 minutes. Scoop the lemon slices out and set them aside. Add the remaiing 3 tablespoons of butter, the wine, and the lemon juice and bring to a vigourous boil. Boil until the liquid is syrupy, 3-4 minutes. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Tuck the scallopine into the sauce and simmer until the sauce is velvety and the scallopine are heated through, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and divide the scallopine among warm serving plates. Spoon some of the sauce over each serving and decorate the tops with the reserved lemon slices.

Lidia's Chicken Francese - An Italian American Classic

I don't know if this is a popular dish in Italy but I do know that there isn't a restaurant or a pizzeria that doesn't make this dish. I rarely order it though. Not because I don't like this dish, I love it, but I don't like to order things out that I think are too easy or that I make at home. Who wants to pay for a dish you know you're capable of making for half the price? Not me!

Whenever I make francese, piccata, marsala or saltimbocca, I always use chicken cutlets (sometimes labeled scallopine) but this time I cut the chicken breasts myself. Every time I do it I realize that it's just a waste of time. I'm not sure if it saves money or not but I don't think it's worth it. More dishes to clean and bleach (I bleach everything that touches chicken) and it's not the easiest thing to do. I ended up tearing them a bit and had trouble cutting them evenly. Maybe it will be easier for you but I much rather use cutlets that are nice and thin and easy.

This recipe comes from Lidia's Italian American Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich. It's on of my favorite cookbooks because it has so many classics. If you're ever watched Lidia on tv you know how awesome she is. She is such a pleasure to watch, she's always so relaxed and her recipes are incredible. Here's one of my favorites.


Lidia's Chicken Francese

Source: Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen
by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning the sauce
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning the sauce
4 servings Veal, Chicken, Turkey or Pork Scaloppine (2 breasts halved and pounded or 1 package cutlets)
all-purpose flour
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup vegetable oil
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 lemon, cut into very thin slices, pits removed
1/2 cup dry white wine
juice of 1 lemon
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions:

1. Whisk the eggs, milk, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a wide bowl until blended. Dredge the scallopine in flour to coat both sides lightly and tap off the excess flour. Heat the olive and vegetable oils in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip into the egg batter as many of the scallpine as will fit in the pan without touching. Let excess batter drip back into the bowl and place them into the skillet. Fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes. Adjust the heat as the scallopine cook so they brown slowly and evenly, with a steady bubbling. (If the heat is too high, the egg coating will scorch and the bits of batter that stick to the pan will burn, turning the sauce bitter.) Drain the scallopine on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining scallopine and egg coating.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and pour off the oil. Carefully wipe out the pan with a wad of paper towels and add half the butter. When the butter is melted, return the pan to the heat and scatter the lemon slices over the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring gently occasionally, until the lemon slices are golden, about 3 minutes. Scoop the lemon slices out and set them aside. Add the remaiing 3 tablespoons of butter, the wine, and the lemon juice and bring to a vigourous boil. Boil until the liquid is syrupy, 3-4 minutes. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Tuck the scallopine into the sauce and simmer until the sauce is velvety and the scallopine are heated through, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and divide the scallopine among warm serving plates. Spoon some of the sauce over each serving and decorate the tops with the reserved lemon slices.

Skillet Pasta Forno - Another use for leftovers

These days we are all trying to stretch a buck and for me that means using up leftovers. Sometimes I am appalled at the amount of food I throw away. It's wrong and I'm really trying hard not to do that anymore. I don't know about you but I always make way more sauce than I need. Most of the time I make enough to freeze but sometimes it's just not enough to take up space in my freezer. It's times like these that using up the sauce for a skillet pasta works well. I had some leftover meat sauce and some fresh mozzarella. If you had some ricotta you could through that in too and make some baked ziti, any veggies you have would also be a lovely addition but you don't have to have anything special. Sauce, pasta and some mozzarella is all you need.


There isn't a recipe, it's very easy. Heat up your sauce in an oven proof skillet. Cook your pasta to al dente, drain, toss with sauce. Add diced or shredded mozzarella (and anything else you want to through in), toss again. You'll see the mozzarella is starting to melt from the hot sauce. Sprinkle some romano cheese on top and stick it in a 375 degree oven until cheese is melted and bubbly. If you want the cheese to brown turn your broiler on for a few minutes until the desired color is achieved.


Is that easy enough? No more throwing away leftovers!

Skillet Pasta Forno - Another use for leftovers

These days we are all trying to stretch a buck and for me that means using up leftovers. Sometimes I am appalled at the amount of food I throw away. It's wrong and I'm really trying hard not to do that anymore. I don't know about you but I always make way more sauce than I need. Most of the time I make enough to freeze but sometimes it's just not enough to take up space in my freezer. It's times like these that using up the sauce for a skillet pasta works well. I had some leftover meat sauce and some fresh mozzarella. If you had some ricotta you could through that in too and make some baked ziti, any veggies you have would also be a lovely addition but you don't have to have anything special. Sauce, pasta and some mozzarella is all you need.


There isn't a recipe, it's very easy. Heat up your sauce in an oven proof skillet. Cook your pasta to al dente, drain, toss with sauce. Add diced or shredded mozzarella (and anything else you want to through in), toss again. You'll see the mozzarella is starting to melt from the hot sauce. Sprinkle some romano cheese on top and stick it in a 375 degree oven until cheese is melted and bubbly. If you want the cheese to brown turn your broiler on for a few minutes until the desired color is achieved.


Is that easy enough? No more throwing away leftovers!

Eggs in Purgatory - Uova in Purgatorio

The summer has come to an end but there are still an abundance of tomatoes left at the farmer's markets or if you're lucky, in your own yard. If you're looking for a unique way to eat them aside from the obvious caprese salad or sauce for pasta, give this a try. Eggs in Purgatory which is a strange way of saying eggs poached in tomato sauce. It sounds weird, I won't lie, but, it is delicious. Eat this on a slice of crusty toasted bread and it is incredibly satisfying. Have a salad on the side if you like and you have a great light meal.

I made this sauce with 10 fresh plum tomatoes but you can make this with a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes or the equivalent in diced tomatoes. You can jazz this up by adding olives to the sauce or shredding some fontina cheese on top. I just used my standard, pecorino romano.


Eggs in Purgatory

Serves 4-6 (2 eggs per person)

Ingredients:

4-6 large eggs
1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes (diced or fresh plum can be used)
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
bunch of fresh basil (or 2-3 cubes frozen Dorat)
extra virgin olive oil
1 loaf thick italian bread such as ciabatta or a round loaf
pecorino romano cheese

Directions:

1. Clean tomatoes, remove the core and make an "X" on the opposite side. Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 3-4 minutes until the skin starts to peel away from the flesh. Drain and chill in ice water until they are cool enough to handle. Skin will easily peel away from the flesh. Use a paring knife to grab the corner of the skin (this is why you make the "X") but you may not even need to use it, just peel it with your fingers. Slice tomatoes in half and with you finger pull out the seeds. Then slice in 4 pieces. If you have a food mill you can put them through the mill to seperate the seeds from the pulp. I got rid of mine and I just use my fingers.

2. Sweat onions in extra virgin olive oil (over low heat) and once they begin to soften add garlic. If using frozen basil add now. Add tomatoes, fresh basil, salt and pepper and cover. Let cook for 10 minutes and then begin breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon or a tomatoe masher. Cover and let cook for another 20-30 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper. I like to add a teaspoon of sugar for sweetness.



3. Toast 4-6 sliced thick sliced bread. You'll need one slice of bread per egg. While slices are warm rub them with a piece of garlic.


4. Crack eggs into a small bowl (in case you break the yolk or get shells in it) and then add to the sauce, spread the eggs out so they don't touch each other. (The more eggs you make the larger the skillet you will need.) Cover and let cook until whites are set but yolks are still runny.


5. Sprinkle with romano cheese and serve on toast slices.



This is a great recipe to make on fridays during Lent! I know Nanny would have certainly approved!

Nanny with tomatoes from her garden in Brooklyn, New York.