Chicken Parmigiano

Chicken Parmigiano (Parmesan) is part of the wonderful category of food I like to call Italian Soul Food. The smell of garlic, tomato sauce and breaded chicken baking in the oven makes me feel happy. This simple Italian dish is delicious and truly hard to mess up. It's simple enough for weeknights and yummy enough for guests. I like to pair it with an Italian red wine like Chianti, Sangiovese or Barbera.


*These ingredients make enough for approximately 2-4 people.


INGREDIENTS, Chicken
chicken breast cutlets (2-4)
(Hint: I rarely see cutlets sold already pounded out in the store, but you can have your friendly meat counter easily pound them out for you OR you can pound them out yourself. WARNING: this is a bit tricky, it requires force without destroying the meat, practice on a small piece until you get it right.)
italian bread crumbs (approx 1/2-1 cup)
fresh or dried italian parsley (approx 4 Tbsp)
eggs (2) beaten
fresh parmigiano cheese (approx 1-1 1/2 cup) grated at home
salt
cracked black pepper


INGREDIENTS, Simple Marinara Sauce
canned tomato sauce (2)
cloves minced garlic (2)
olive oil (approx 1-1.5 Tbsp)
parsley fresh or dried
basil fresh or dried
salt
cracked black pepper


INSTRUCTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix bread crumbs, parsley, salt/pepper in mixing bowl. Coat cutlets in egg and dredge in bread crumb mixture until completely coated. Place chicken on olive oil coated baking dish, gently move chicken around to get some oil on both sides of cutlets. Bake for 20-25 minutes until just beginning to brown on edge. Remove from oven and increase heat to 400 degrees.


Meanwhile, in small/medium sauce pan saute garlic in olive oil, until you can really smell it, but before it begins to brown (garlic becomes bitter at that point), add tomato sauce, salt/pepper, parsley and basil, simmer for 20 minutes.


Sprinkle freshly grated cheese on top of chicken (as little or as much as you like), ladle sauce on top of cheese, then another thin layer of cheese, top with freshly chopped parsley, a final dash of salt and pepper and cook for approx. 5-10 minutes more, or until a little crispier on the edge. Serve immediately with a side of pasta and/or a nice salad.


(Hint: leftovers make great sandwiches!)


Bon Appetito! - Robyn

Pasta Bolognese

(From Sarah!) This is an Italian sauce recipe I learned from my friend Cristina, and tweaked a little bit.  The celery is KEY.  And, if you are not a pork eater, you can use more of the other meat, and it is definitely just as good.  Also, I like to splurge on the San Marzano crushed tomatoes - definitely worth the few extra bucks!
 
pasta 
ground beef (1/3 lb)
ground veal (1/3 lb)  
ground pork (1/3 lb)
celery stalks (2-3 stalks) diced finely
carrots (2-3 medium) chopped
onion (1 medium) chopped
garlic (2-3 cloves) crushed
olive oil 
salt & pepper (to taste)
red pepper flakes (to taste)
parsley (to taste)
basil/oregano (if desired, to taste)
crushed tomatoes (2 big cans)


Pour a few tablespoons of oil into a large sauce pot, and heat on medium. Add meat, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, and spices to taste. Saute until meat is cooked through, stirring consistently to break up the meat and make sure the veggies don't burn.


When all is cooked, add crushed tomatoes, stir in, and reduce heat to low/medium. Let simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes, and adding more spices as needed.


Cook pasta according to directions on package. Serve sauce over pasta and top with grated cheese if you'd like.


*If it tastes a bit bitter, you can always throw a bit of wine or balsamic vinegar in there to sweeten it up!