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A favorite section in
many Italian Restaurants are items listed "alla Parmigiana", simply means
meals made or covered with parmesan cheese. The world famous
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses, whose names derive from the northern Italian
areas of Parma and Reggio-Emilia. It is the original and the best, but not
always available. You can find it in any good Italian deli and many
supermarkets. There are many good versions or imitations of Parmesan cheese,
that are acceptable and will work.
Parmigiano is the the
Italian adjective for the city of Parma, the French version, "Parmesan" is
used in English. It is used mostly to describe any meat or vegetable that is
breaded, fried, baked and topped with melted cheeses, usually Mozzarella and
sprinkled Parmesan. Other finer cheeses may be used, like Fontina or Asiago.
I use an old family
recipe that has never changed, mainly because there is no way to improve it.
It works well and customers that love Parmigiana dishes in our restaurants
acknowledge that nobody does it better.
The recipe is basic, but
not easy, in that it requires some time and effort. The finished product
makes it all worthwhile. You can use a variety of meats (chicken, beef,
veal, pork, etc) or vegetables (eggplant, zucchini, squash, etc). The
following recipe for Chicken Parmigiana is a perfect example:
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Note,
you will need the following
items: |
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Medium size baking
dish
(Pyrex ok)
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medium frying pan
or electric fryer
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medium size pot
(for cooking pasta)
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3 Mixing bowls or
pans
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meat tenderizer -
mallet
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plastic cutting
board
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kitchen knife
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kitchen whip -
whisk
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Chicken Parmigiana
Ingredients:
4 each chicken breast
3 each eggs
1 cup flour
2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 Tbs milk
2 oz. Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs granulated garlic
4 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 oz. olive oil or canola oil
1 pinch salt
24 oz. tomato sauce (see recipe)
6 oz. dry linguine
1 Tbs fresh chopped parsley
Your set up should be in this order: (flour, egg batter, bread
crumbs)
Directions:
Trim chicken breasts
of excess fat or grizzle, pound breasts (lightly, they may shred) using a meat tenderizer,
set aside.
Egg batter mixture: break eggs and place in medium
bowl, add Parmesan, milk, granulated garlic, salt and pepper. Mix
thoroughly and set aside.
Place bread crumbs and flour into separate shallow
pans. One at a time, put chicken breast into flour, shake off
excess flour, then dip in egg batter, then into bread crumbs. Press
down to evenly coat breast on both sides.
Heat oil in frying pan on medium heat. Fry breasts
until golden brown on both sides, then drain on paper towels to get
excess oil off.
Cover bottom of baking pan with a layer of tomato
sauce. Lay breasts across. Cover middle of breasts with sauce,
sprinkle with mozzarella evenly on top. Cook in preheated oven at 375°
until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.
While chicken is baking, bring salted water to boil
and cook off pasta (always al dente). Drain and serve on side of
Chicken topped with tomato sauce.
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