Marinara Bravissimo

Posted on July 23, 2021June 30, 2021 by Mike P

Finding a good Marinara in a jar can be a real time saver when it’s one of the ingredients in your recipe. I found two that I like. Barilla and Classico make excellent sauces, but they both are a little sweeter than I prefer. Far less so than most of the others I’ve tried. So, when I want a basic Marinara, without any sweetness, and especially when it is the main dish that’s being served, I make my own.

I learned this one from my father, Ralph. He was a trained Chef, learning his profession before WW2, serving in the Merchant Marines. Dad used to tell us great stories about his travels in the Merchant Marines, but not so much about the war. He would talk about it from time to time, if we asked questions.

Dad loved cooking. With his skills, and my Mother being the best Southern cook I’ve ever known, well, I grew up thinking everyone ate that way. It wasn’t until later in life that I began to really appreciate the food we had in our home and the skill with which it was prepared. Dad had several variations on this sauce. He changed it, depending on what he would be using it for. This was his “stand alone” sauce, made to be served over pasta, as the main ingredient of the dish. This was my Grandmother’s favorite sauce, which my Dad taught her to make when he and my Mother were dating in Charlotte, NC. How a boy from New York ended up in Charlotte is a wonderful story.

**Dad and Mom, out for a night on the town, just after they were married in 1948**

Dad served in the Atlantic crossings during WW2, as part of the convoys that took troops and material to Europe. He made more than a dozen trips. When Germany surrendered, he volunteered to do the same in the Pacific, until Japan surrendered. My mother’s first husband, Tracy, died in France during the war. They had a quick “war time” marriage just before he shipped out, and Mom decided to volunteer for work in a munitions factory in California. At the end of the war my Dad was given a train ticket and told he had to report back to New York, his “Home Port” station. My Mom quit her job and decided to go home, back to Charlotte.

As my Dad boarded the train, he noticed a young woman struggling to get aboard with her luggage. Mom had a cast on her leg and there were no “Red Caps” or porters around to help. Dad jumped off and helped her, introducing himself, and as he put it, “falling in love the moment he looked into her eyes”. Mom always tells the story that he “pestered” her all the way across the country, insisting on having his meals with her, following her from one car to another, but also being very charming and “almost” irresistible. Mom got off the train in Charlotte, saying goodbye to my Dad before they arrived at the station. A Porter and Red Caps helped her with the luggage and she made it to the platform, only to turn around and bump directly into my Dad. Mom said he a “huge grin” on his face. When she asked, “What the hell are you doing here? I thought you had to be in New York!” Dad just shook his head. “Nope”, he said, “I’m staying in Charlotte until you marry me”. And he did, and they did, and that’s why me and my brother are here!

I heard this story for the first time, at least that I remember it, while the two of them were in the kitchen and Dad was making this sauce. That didn’t happen very often because they were both “kitchen sergeants” and usually got in each other’s way. It was special when they did share the cooking though. I don’t think of this story every time I make the Marinara, but I do think of it, and I love telling it, because it’s the kind of thing you hear and see in the movies!

This recipe will make about 8 to 10 servings. I’ve added meatballs to this meal, but I add those to the sauce I’m going to use for the evening’s meal, not to the entire pot of Marinara.

Prep time: 15 min. – Cook time: at least 1 hour

Ingredients

1 – Glass red wine for the Chef, I had Merlot this evening

1 – Lrg Can Tomatoes, whole, peeled

2 – Lrg Cans Tomatoes, Crushed, I prefer Cento because they are Italian tomatoes and I love the flavor.

2 – Onions, medium, finely chopped

5 – 6 Garlic cloves, halved lengthwise

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2C – White wine, dry

Oregano, dried

Parsley, dried

Salt, to taste

Black Pepper, to taste

Pasta of you choice

Making The Magic

If you haven’t had your first sip of wine, I’m going to stop until you do…..

Okay, Start with a large pot on the stove and begin to heat about 4-5T of olive oil to medium heat.

***Finely chopped so they soften quickly***

Finely chop your onions and set aside. Next, peel the garlic. The easiest way is to place the flat of your knife on top of the clove and whack it gently. The peel will pop open and you’ll be able to pull the clove out of the peel. Don’t worry if it’s slightly crushed. Now, slice the garlic cloves into halves and set aside.

When the oil is hot, you should be able to smell the aroma of the olive oil rising from the pot or see the oil beginning to swirl in the pot, drop in one piece of the halved garlic. Does it sizzle? If it does, drop in the rest of the garlic and immediately reduce the heat to medium low. You want the garlic to brown slowly. It will begin to release it’s oils and will change as it cooks in the oil. The oil will absorb the garlic flavors and the garlic will change from a pungent flavor to a slightly sweet and creamy texture.

Just as the garlic starts to brown, ever so slightly, drop in the chopped onions. Swirl them together and let the new flavors begin to bloom in the oil as the chemical reaction between the garlic, olive oil and onions transforms them into little pearls of soft, savory, flavor.

When all of it is softened and the garlic has browned a little more, use your hands and gently crush and squeeze the whole tomatoes into the pot. Do it gently or you’ll end up getting splattered with tomato juice. Stir this thoroughly into the simmering onions and garlic.

When it’s fully blended, add a little salt and pepper and blend it into the mixture.

Take another sip of wine…..thank you.

***Squeeze gently, or you’ll get a bath***

Next add the two cans of crushed tomatoes and blend together. I use this combination to make the sauce a little thicker,

Now add a “handful” of oregano and a “handful” of parsley by filling one palm with the dried herbs and then rubbing your hands together and spreading it over the sauce. Take a deep sniff of your palms when you do this. You’ll love the aromas that are released as a result of your crushing the dried leaves between your palms. Mmmmm-mmmm that smells so good! Blend everything thoroughly.

***Not a precise measurement, but it works***

***Blend thoroughly to combine the flavors***

Finally, add salt and pepper to taste and 1/2C dry white wine and blend again.

Cover and simmer for at least an hour. I usually allow 3 to 4 hours, because the longer this simmers the more intense the flavors will become. I would recommend tasting this as it simmers, every 30 minutes or so and decide if you want to add more salt.

For this meal I added meatballs after the sauce had simmered about 4 hours. I took out the portion I wanted to serve that evening and pout it into another, smaller sauce pan. I then added the meat balls to that sauce pan and let it simmer together for another 20 to 30 minutes.

***simmer 3 to 4 hours, if you have time, 1 hour minimum***

***Gotta have bread to “Sop Up the sauce”***

While the meatballs were simmering in the sauce, I put on the pasta. We had Linguini with this. I also fixed a loaf of bread from Aldi’s to “sop” up the sauce.

When it was all ready, it was on the plate and to the table in two heartbeats. By the time it was ready, and I had been smelling it for several hours, I couldn’t wait to dive in!

***With or without meatballs, this sauce stands on it’s own!***

Variations To Keep It New

This sauce is so versatile. Take the serving portions from the pot, or if it’s leftover and frozen in serving sizes, try these additions:

Red, Pepper Flakes

Italian Sausage

Meat Balls

Chopped Black Olives

Wines We Love With This

Merlot

Chianti

Valpolicella

Any red that’s medium bodied and doesn’t fight the spiciness of the sauce.

Leftovers

I always make enough to have leftovers. Freeze this sauce in one or two serving size portions. Then you can take out the portions you need and add anything you want, like sausage or meatballs.

Momma Mia, that makes my stomach so happy! Eat, enjoy!

Question

How did your parents meet? Do they have a favorite meal?

el Sandwich Cubano

Posted on July 16, 2021August 16, 2023 by Mike P

With those who know me, even a little, it’s no secret that I love movies. I collect them, I love sharing them and I could talk all day about films, how they are made, the personalities and the stars who fill the screen. So, is it any surprise that some of my favorite movies are about or have major scenes that feature cooking, food, people gathering around food or with food as a catalyst to tell a story? One of those films is “Chef” starring Jon Favreau, who also wrote and directed the film.

Carl Casper, played by Jon Favreau, is an acclaimed and well respected chef. The pressure from his passion for food and cooking, results in a family life that’s falling apart at the same time he is losing his culinary artistic freedom. As the pressure builds, it finally explodes in a public confrontation with an equally renowned restaurant critic who expresses his dislike and disappointment at what he’s served when he visits the restaurant one night. His career seems to be in ruins, his life coming completely undone before his very eyes. Then, Carl’s ex-wife suggests a whole new direction for him, starting in Miami. Reluctant at first, Carl decides to refurbish and refit an old food truck.

The goal is to offer quality food, with simple ingredients and cooking it with his own artistic freedom. Along with him, Carl takes his young son, Percy, and old colleague, Martin, on a trip of discovery across America. With that truck, and the help of his son and friend, Carl rediscovers and reconnects with his culinary passion and desire to share with those he loves. By so doing, Carl discovers he is making and serving more than simple food. He is sharing his joy, his love and his artistic creativity. He is also rediscovering a deeper connection to his wife, his son, his life and his family.

Directed, Written and Starring Jon Favreau. Also starring Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, and Jon Leguizamo

One of the scenes that really connects with me is how he shares his love for a simple sandwich, a Cuban of course, with his son. He describes the care with which all the ingredients must come together and how they are transformed from what each ingredient is by itself to what they become when they are together, sort of like family.

In the film you’ll see Chef Carl casually select 2 really nice, professional sandwich/panini presses for the truck. I would love to have one, but frankly, I’ve run out of counter space in my kitchen, so I came up with an alternative, that you’ll see in this recipe. This shows the makings for two sandwiches. If you serve this with a nice soup, you can make this into 4 servings, half a sandwich per person.

Prep time: 10 min. – Cook time: 10 min

Ingredients

How about fixing a Mojito for the Chef!

2 – Cuban rolls or Hoagie rolls

2 – slices Swiss Cheese

2 – 3 Dill sandwich pickles

Ham, thinly sliced, to taste

Pulled, sliced pork from a roasted, slow cooked Butt, to taste

Dijon Mustard, to taste

Extra Light Olive Oil

1 – Avocado, to serve on the side

SECRET SAUCE – a twist to try

3T – Dukes Mayonnaise

1T – Lindberg-Snider Cajun Spice

Mix mayo and spice, let sit in the fridge for at least an hour or so. Spread this on one of the bread halves, instead of mustard on both halves. OMG…it is so good! I’ve used all the spice blends from Lindberg-Snider and they are awesome good!

***Simple ingredients make amazing flavors when combined***

Making the Magic

Preheat a large pan, large enough to hold both sandwiches, to medium. Coat with a film of Extra Light Olive Oil. It imparts little flavor and tolerates high heat much better.

Slice your Hoagie or Cuban rolls lengthwise and slather as much Dijon Mustard as you like on both sides of the roles.

First layer the thinly sliced pork or pulled pork on top of the bottom section of the role. Next, layer the Swiss Cheese and then the Ham on top of the cheese.

The sandwich pickle tops all of it and then the top of the roll. Press it down and start to flatten the sandwich.

***As much mustard as you want, pickle on top***

***Layers of flavor just waiting to blend***

Place the sandwiches in the preheated pan. Now place an iron skillet on top, it doesn’t need to be hot, just heavy, to help press the sandwiches and keep them pressed. Let it toast in the pan for about 5 minutes.

Take the iron skillet off and flip the sandwiches. Toast for another 5 minutes. Press the skillet down a little to help it press the sandwiches.

***Iron skillet makes an awesome panini press***

The sandwiches will be done when the bread is slightly browned on both sides.

When done, remove from the pan, slice and plate these little beauties along with an avocado halve on each plate.

***Crunchy outside, a palates delight inside***

***Creamy Cole slaw with raisins contrast and compliment***

So far we’ve had two meals with Cuban sandwiches, made with leftover ham from months ago, frozen of course, and leftover pork that had been roasted on our rotisserie just a week before. I love taking leftovers and making completely different and new dishes.

Variations To Keep This New

Well, this is mostly made from leftovers to start with. Personally, I wouldn’t change the recipe for the Cuban. Changing up the side dishes will give you some variety. Try pineapple in the Cole Slaw. Fresh, sliced peaches on the side would be delicious. Perhaps a green salad with Balsamic vinegar and Olive Oil.

Wines We Love With This

So I’ve had Cubans with reds, bold and light, whites, Sangria and Beer. So far, I have’t found anything that doesn’t go with a Cuban!

Leftovers

Not. Don’t see it happening.

As they usually say in Cuba:

“Salud, por que la belleza sobra”

Question

Have you ever been to Cuba?

Would Someone Rub My Butt

Posted on July 9, 2021July 7, 2021 by Mike P

Slow cooked pork roasts, especially a Blade Roast, aka Boston Butt, is one of my favorites, but I never seem to have time to do one. Well, I got to thinking, maybe I could find something that would be just as tender and not take as long on my grill. I don’t own a “Green Egg” or “Tragger” or “Weber” slow cooker/pellet grill. However, I do have an awesome Broil King gas grill with a Rotisserie. So, I looked for a recipe that uses a Rotisserie and would come close to a long, long slow cook on a wood pellet grill.

I was hoping to repeat the incredible tender, juicy pork roast that I remember from one of the best neighborhoods we have ever lived in, Wood Valley. It’s located in Raleigh, NC. It’s a place we remember so fondly because of the community, friends, neighbors and unforgettable memories we made there. I remember being “volunteered” to help get the pigs and butts ready for the annual, Wood Valley Pig Pickin’. It was famous in Raleigh, well, maybe just in our neighborhood, but it was something very special. The “Boys” met at the community swim and racquet club at 5:30am. We split up duties and I went off with Bill Sinnett to get one of the 150 Gal Oil Drum cookers. We used three. Two were for the whole pigs we were roasting and the third was for 150lbs of pork butts. Others went off in separate directions to collect the pigs, the pork butts, the 50Qt pots to make the outstanding vinegar based sauce and all the other accoutrements. The homeowners attending were expected to bring dishes to share.

I won’t name the person, but one person was left behind to start creating the charcoal and burning wood to put in the cookers when they arrived. We wanted to get started as early as possible because we knew it would take all day and folks were expecting us to start serving around 5PM. The charcoal and burning embers were supposed to be started in a pit dug into the ground and would be kept going all day long so we could add burning embers and charcoal as needed. We were gone about an hour, and when we all arrived back, we discovered the fire hadn’t been started. Puzzled, and a little anxious, we looked for the person who was supposed to be tending the fire that wasn’t. No where to be found at the club house or pool area, we went on with our tasks, going off the get some additional tools and things we knew we would need.

When we got back, the “Firestarter” was there and was walking back from the clubhouse with a beer in his hand. Yep it was early, but early and day long beer drinking was part of the experience, so he had started without us. He was walking over to the pit as we asked where he had been. He explained that with all the dew from the previous night, it is the south and can be hot and humid from time to time, it had been impossible to get the fire going, even with the fire sticks. Several of us walked towards the pit and I suddenly noticed the smell of gasoline. “Firestarter” had put his beer on the ground and was pulling a pack of matches out of his back pocket. He continued to explain why he hadn’t been able to start the fire, how he had gone home and gotten his can of gasoline for his lawn mower and then soaked the wood when he had gotten back. He lit the match, threw it towards the pit and “WHOOSH, BOOM”. Suddenly, any of us near the pit, no longer had any hair on our legs. It was over in a flash and it was nothing more than the fumes flashing off when the match hit, but it sure got the heart pumping and it was one of those, “here, hold my beer moments”! We all started laughing, no one wanting to admit it had scared the hell out of all of us. I suddenly felt thirsty, so it was time to open my first beer of the day. We were a little late serving up the pork, but it was some of the best I’ve ever had.

Needless to say, I can’t repeat that experience every time I want pulled pork or tender, juicy bar-b-q pork. But the memory of that, and how it tasted, made me search for a good alternative that I could do at home.

This recipe is for any size butt. The one I made was 8 lbs and we did have a lot of leftovers. Prepping the Butt, and cooking it to the right internal temperature, is the key to its juiciness and tenderness.

Prep time: at least 8 hrs. – Cook time: 4 1/2 hours

Ingredients

As many beers as the Chef wants

1 – 8lb Blade Roast, aka Boston Butt

1/4C – Brown Sugar

3/4C – Salt

Cooking twine/string

1/2C – Paprika, smoked is best

1/3C – Brown Sugar

1/4C – Garlic Powder

2T – Black Pepper

2T – Chili Powder

2T – Onion Powder

2T – Chipotle Chili Powder

1T – Cumin

1T – Dry Mustard

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

**Makes enough rub for at least two** butts

The amount of Dry Rub you make will be enough to do two 8lb butts. I save the extra and will use it for another butt on the rotisserie, or it is an outstanding rub for pork chops or St Louis style pork ribs.

Making The Magic

Prep your Butt well in advance by marinating or “Brining” for at least 8 hours. I did mine overnight. Use hot water to melt 1/4C Brown Sugar and 3/4C Salt together, about 4 cups of hot water. Stir until well blended. Place the Butt in a container large enough to add about 8Qts of cold water and the sugar/water blend. You want the Butt to be completely covered in the brine/marinade. Put it in the fridge for at least 8 hours. Cover the container and let it sit. there’s no need to stir or shake the mixture.

At some point prior to pulling the Butt out of the fridge, get your rub ingredients together and blend them thoroughly. Mix the Paprika, Brown Sugar, Garlic, Onion, Chili Powders, Black Pepper, Cumin, and Dry Mustard. Be sure it is thoroughly blended. You want the ingredients to melt into the pork as you rub it on and while it’s cooking. These spices enhance one another as they heat up and blend with the fats and juices coming from the pork. As they darken, and they darken quite a bit, the flavors will intensify, blooming into a unique combination that will make your mouth water just thinking about it.

When the Butt has been brining for at least 8 hours remove it from the brine and pat it dry, all around. Once dry, you’ll want to evenly score the “fat cap” on the butt. DON’T trim the fat off! This is where a lot of flavor comes from, and it becomes the “cracklin” when it crisps and releases it’s juices.

Preheat your grill to about 350°. the lower the heat, the longer it will take to reach an internal temperature of 185° to 190°. That’s an important measure. The Butt has to reach that temperature in order to make it tender and juicy. This cut of pork has a lot of tendons and connective tissue that can make it very tough and chewy. However, it begins to break down and melts into the surrounding muscle tissue when it gets to around 175°. Cooking it too quickly, at higher temperatures, will also melt the connective tissue, but it will also burn off, and the juiciness will be lost, resulting in dry and tasteless pork.

***Blend thoroughly to insure maximum flavor***

The scoring will allow you to rub the spices into the fat cap and surface of the pork. Doing this will greatly enhance the flavor of the meat and it also allows the “cracklin” to develop. Officially, cracklin’ is the product of a whole, roasted pig, and what happens to the skin as it roasts. This is pretty close though.

***Score evenly, not more than 1/8″ deep***

Once dried and scored, you want to thoroughly rub the Butt with olive oil. Coat it all around because the oil is going to begin the process of melting the dry rub into the Butt. Once coated with the oil, sprinkle and rub the blended spices into the Butt.

***Use the rub generously. Don’t skimp.***

Rub the spices into the scoring and on all sides. Don’t be afraid to get your hands in there. It washes off. Just don’t rub your eyes or nose if they start to itch!

After the Butt is well crusted with the rub, you’ll want to truss it up with the cooking twine. It’s not absolutely necessary, but you run the risk of the meat falling apart and off the spit, when the connective tissue and tendons begin to break down and melt. Just add or replace any of the areas where you knock the rub off.

**Thoroughly coat and rub into the scorin**g

***If you don’t truss the Butt the meat may fall apart when cooking***

Now that the Butt is trussed and completely encrusted with the rub, you’ll want to skewer the butt on the spit. Because of the position and shape of the bone in this cut, remember, it’s a should blade cut of pork, not really a part of the butt, it was necessary to skewer this by running through the narrow part of the cut, side to side. Running it lengthwise would have caused the Butt to be offset and not centered on the skewer. This way, it just fit better on the spit and rotated better on the rotisserie.

Once the Butt is on the rotisserie, monitor the temperature to be sure it doesn’t get too high or low. I used a quick check meat thermometer to check the internal temp every hour. It’s important to let the Butt reach an internal temperature of 185° to 190°. When you take it off the rotisserie, it will continue to cook internally, so take it away from the heat as soon as you see it reach that temperature.

About 2 hours into the cooking I also added a “smoker box”. It’s an awesome way to get the flavoring of a smoke pit fire and still use a gas grill. This Butt will still have an incredible amount of flavor with out doing this. It’s completely optional, as far as I’m concerned. If you do want the smoke pit flavor, I used Hickory wood chips, soaked in water for about an hour, and placed in a stainless smoker box that fits on my grill. It goes directly on top of the sizzle plates of the grill, below the cooking grate. I turn the burner on, beneath the smoker box and monitor the temperature of the grill, when it starts to rise more than a few degrees I turn the burner off. I go back and forth with the burner to allow the Hickory chips to release their steam and start to smoke as the heat up and start to burn. It may be more work than you want to do, but I love the additional layer of flavor it adds. I have to do this on my grill because it has a dedicated rotisserie burner that is high up next to the meat that turns on the spit, not below it.

When the Butt has reached a temperature of 185° to 190° at the center, remove it from the heat and let it rest for about 15 minutes. The internal temperature will continue to rise for a few minutes and then start to drop. Cutting into the Butt too soon will release a large amount of the internal juices onto the cutting board. That’s not where you want them.

***The drip pan beneath is absolutely essential***

The rub will begin to darken as the Butt cooks. The brown sugar caramelizes, and the paprika and chili powders all darken and create really intense flavors in the fat cap. Without the trussing, it’s possible the meat could just fall apart, or even off the spit. It does just fall off the bone when you you carve it up.

***It looks burned, but it isn’t and the flavors are incredible!***

Now it’s time to carve into this beauty. One section of this cut will be perfect for chopping and pulling apart. Another section, on the other side of the bone will have a beautiful hunk of pork that will be perfect for slicing. You’ll see this as you cut into the Butt yourself. It can all be chopped and pulled, if that’s your preference.

***Sliced or chopped, it’s so delicious***

***Chop the “cracklin” in with the meat***

Having learned how to do this on my gas grill and rotisserie opens up a whole new layer of grilling I hadn’t tried before. Gas grills are not generally viewed as something you use to “slow cook” meats, by most folks. I was one of them, but I so wanted to recreate that taste of a Boston Butt, cooked in a smoke pit for hours, I decided I had to at least give it a try. OMG, I’m so glad I did!

***As they say, a picture’s worth a thousand words…***

***…well, here’s two pictures that say it all!***

Variations To Keep It New

There are so many rubs out there, the variations are endless. Make a vinegar based bar-b-q sauce to go with this. It’s my absolute favorite with chopped pork bar-b-q. There are 4 other types of wood chips you can try, to change the smoke flavor. My favorite is Hickory, and not because I live in Hickory, NC.

Wines We Love With This

BEER! – There are so many microbreweries that make awesome beers in North Carolina, I could list twenty or more and still just be scratching the surface. There’s an amber ale, called Independence Harbor, brewed in Rochester, NY and sold at Aldi’s that is awesome, especially given the price.

Sweet Tea – THE Southern Table Wine!

Pinot Grigio

Leftovers

Holy cow, there are so many things to do with this. One of my favorites is to use this in a Cuban sandwich. The recipe and the technique for making a Cuban, without a sandwich press will be coming next week. It’s also part of my “Dinner and a Movie” series. This is inspired by the movie “Chef”. Find the movie and be ready to watch it while you enjoy one of the best, and simplest of sandwiches that comes from our Cuban brothers and sisters.

Great memories are made with great food and great friends. Ya’ll come back now, ya hear!

Question

What is your favorite kind of bar-b-q, barbecue for those who can’t spell southern style.

Suzanne’s Go To – Chicken Parmigiana

Posted on July 2, 2021June 6, 2021 by Mike P

This is one of Suzanne’s all time favorite comfort foods. For many years, whenever we went out to an Italian Restaurant, I could always predict that Suzanne would order Chicken Parmigiana. It was a given, especially if we had a hard day and weren’t in the mood for trying something new, Suzanne ordered Chicken Parmigiana to help heal the battle wounds of the day. We’ve tried lots of variations in lots of places, so I had many examples to draw from when I came up with my own recipe. I probably did a dozen variations myself, but this is the one I’ve settled on, and the one that Suzanne seems to like best. I’ve added a secret little ingredient that changes the texture and the flavor, just a little. Unfortunately, Suzanne never asks to go out to an Italian restaurant anymore.

This recipe is for two. It’s easy and can be scaled up. I’m using a jarred sauce, Barilla Tomato, Onion and Basil, but I also like my own Marinara sauce. I just didn’t happen to have any when I made this. I usually make a couple gallons of Marinara and freeze it in two serving containers, between 2 1/2 to 3 cups, so I have it for these kinds of recipes. When we lived on our boat, Carolina, I had very limited freezer space, so I looked for and found two brands that have become my favorite pre-made sauces, Barilla and Classico. Easy to find and delicious to use.

Prep time: 20 minutes. – Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

A glass of wine for the Chef!

2 – Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, butterflied

3C – Tomato sauce, homemade or your favorited jarred sauce

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 – Egg

1/2C – Flour, all purpose

1C – Italian Breadcrumbs

3/4C – Mozarella, shredded

1/3C – Parmigiana, shredded

3/4C – Parmigiana, grated

2 – Swiss cheese slices

Pasta – your choice, I used Barilla Thin Spaghetti this night.

***I know, the cheeses aren’t in the picture. I forgot to add them when I shot this!***

Making The Magic

Start with butterflying your chicken breasts, ending up with 4 halves. Once cut, lay each one out on a cutting board, cover with plastic cling film and tenderize. I like using the side of a small plate to tenderize most meats.

Prepare your egg dip by beating the egg thoroughly in a shallow bowl.

Preheat the Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large skillet, medium. Add a little butter if you like. While the oil is heating, get your chicken breasts ready.

Start heating your tomato sauce as well. You’ll be using this to assemble the Chicken Parmigiana, and for your pasta.

Preheat your oven to 400°.

Dredge each half of the chicken breast in flour. Coat it thoroughly and then knock off any excess flour. Next coat the flour dredged chicken with the beaten egg. When coated with the egg, thoroughly coat the chicken with the Italian breadcrumbs. Now the chicken is ready for the hot oil.

Place the chicken in the hot oil, reduce the heat if it splatters. Let the chicken fry in the oil so that it develops a crispy exterior. You want the chicken breasts to be golden brown when they are finished cooking in the oil. Usually about 4 minutes per side.

When they are browned on each side, remove from the pan and place them into a baking dish. The two extra chicken breast halves were unseasoned and made for Bandit, our pooch. He always gets a little something extra on top of his dry food every night, but almost never table scraps, unless it’s a tiny bit of leftover meat from someone’s plate.

Cover the top of each chicken breast with about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce.

***Fry until golden brown. The 2 extra are unseasoned for Bandit.***

***Place in a baking dish and layer with sauce***

On top of the tomato sauce begin to layer the cheeses and some additional tomato sauce. Start by spreading the shredded Mozzarella, then the shredded Parmigiana, and top that with the sliced Swiss. I know, some of you are saying, “what is he thinking!” I added this to my recipe because it adds a slight nuttiness to the flavor blend, and additional stringiness to the texture.

Top the Swiss cheese with about 1/4 cup of Tomato sauce. Finally, top all this with the grated Parmigiana.

Pop the baking dish into your preheated, 400° oven, and bake while you get your pasta ready, or at least 15 minutes. The baking will melt all the cheeses, and the flavors will blend and bloom inside that baking dish.

Get your pasta going and when there’s just a few minutes left on the pasta, switch the oven to broil. This will brown the top of the Parmigiana nicely. Just don’t leave it too long, or you’ll burn the top of your beautiful Chicken Parmigiana. It will still taste great though!

***Bake uncovered at 400° for at least 15 minutes***

***After baking 15 minutes, brown Parmigiana under broiler***

When the Parmigiana has browned to the color you like, turn off the broiler and remove the dish from the oven. Let it rest while you drain your pasta and plate it.

Once the pasta is plated, ladle a generous portion of your sauce over the pasta. Then use a large spatula and remove each chicken breast from the baking dish, plating it next to the pasta. Oh Mama Mia, this is so Delizioso! Your tastebuds, and everyone you serve this to, will remember the loving care and delight that went into this dish.

***This is so good you’ll stop going out to restaurants for it!***

Variations To Keep It New

Replace the sliced Swiss cheese with sliced Mozzarella. Add a little red wine to the sauce. No too much or it will become too runny. Just enough for the red wine to bloom in the sauce and start to release it’s aroma.

Wine We Love With This

Merlot

Chianti

Valpolicella

Bardolino

Leftovers

I have to admit, that doesn’t happen often. When I have had leftovers I’ve reheated the chicken along with some additional sauce and just made fresh pasta.

“La vita e bella con greta cibo e famiglia!”

Question

Would anyone be interested in a recipe for Veal Parmigiana?