CHICKEN MILANESE WITH TOMATO SALSA & ARUGULA

I had this wonderful crispy chicken recipe in a restaurant in Amalfi, Italy. Arugula is also known as rocket in Italy and probably comes from the French word roquette. You can also make this with veal, but cook the veal for only 2 minutes on each side. Serve with your favorite white Italian wine. Molto delizioso!

Fresh Tomato Salsa

2 cups red or multi-colored cherry tomatoes, diced 
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 t  balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chopped fresh basil
½ t chopped fresh oregano 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix the above ingredients together in a bowl, cover and set aside while making the chicken.

Chicken Cutlets
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 
1 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
2 T milk or water
2 T freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese 
1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
½ cup plain dry bread crumbs

¼ cup extra-light olive oil or avocado oil, for frying

4 small handfuls arugula, washed and dried (one handful for each plate) 
Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, for garnish

Cut each chicken breast in half, lengthwise.
Gently pound chicken between layers of plastic wrap to ¼-inch thickness.

In a shallow bowl, add the flour and season generously with salt and pepper.
In another shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs with the milk or water and cheese. 
In a third shallow bowl, mix together the panko and plain dry bread crumbs.

Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess. Then dip the pieces into the beaten egg mixture and finally into the bread crumb mixture.
Set aside on a platter or baking sheet while breading the other pieces.

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
Cook cutlets in batches for about 4 minutes on each side. 
Place cooked chicken on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while cooking the rest.
Wipe out the skillet with paper towels before cooking the remaining cutlets.

Spoon some of the tomato salsa on the bottom of each plate, place two chicken cutlets on top, and then top with some arugula. 
Finish up with some shavings of cheese.

Serves 4

BAKED EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA

This recipe for eggplant Parmigiana resembles southern-style fried green tomatoes, with all the crunch, and they are not fried. You stack them together and bake a final time for about 10 minutes until the cheese melts. I was inspired to make it this way after I had (one stack only) for lunch at Ristorante Tre Sorelle (Three Sisters) in Positano, Italy. 

1 recipe for marinara or tomato sauce

1 cup all-purpose flour

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs

2 T water or milk

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1 ½ cups dry plain breadcrumbs

2 T chopped Italian parsley

2 t freeze-dried or chopped fresh oregano

2 t freeze-dried or chopped fresh basil

Extra-light olive oil or avocado oil

2 large, heavy eggplants, peeled and sliced crosswise into 12 slices, ¼-inch thick

1 lb mozzarella cheese, cut into 12 slices

Place flour into a shallow bowl and season generously with salt and pepper.

Whisk eggs in a medium bowl with the water and ¼ cup of the Parmigiano cheese.

Combine the panko, dry breadcrumbs, parsley, oregano, and basil in a shallow bowl.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle some oil on a large baking sheet and spread it around with a brush.

Dip eggplant slices in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in egg mixture and finally in breadcrumb mixture.

Place eggplant slices on the baking sheet and drizzle a little more oil on top.

Bake for 20 minutes, flip each one over and bake an additional 15 minutes.

On the same baking sheet, arrange four of the baked slices (not touching each other) in a row.

Add a spoonful of sauce, then some grated Parmigiano and a slice of mozzarella cheese.

Place another slice of eggplant on each and repeat one more time (each stack contains three slices) and place back 

in the oven for 10 minutes to melt the cheeses.

Garnish with a couple of basil leaves and serve.

Serves 2 to 4

BRUSCHETTE WITH RICOTTA, ARUGULA, & PROSCIUTTO

This is now one of my husband's favorite bruschette.

Bruschetta (with an "a") is singular and bruschette (with an "e") is plural. Since it was just the two of us, I only made 4 appetizers, but the recipe makes 12 to 216 appetizers. This also makes a nice lunch with a glass of vino.

1 loaf Italian bread cut into ½-inch slices

Olive oil for brushing onto each slice of bread
1 whole large clove of garlic
Fresh whole milk ricotta cheese, room temperature
Freshly ground black pepper
A handful of baby arugula

12 to 16 thin slices Prosciutto di Parma
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Brush each slice of bread on both sides with olive oil.
Heat a griddle or grill pan to medium-high heat. 
Grill the bread until golden brown on both sides (you can do this in the oven and flip over when golden brown on one side).
Place bread on a baking sheet to cool slightly.

Rub the top side of bread with the garlic clove.
Spread with some ricotta, season with a little black pepper, add a few arugula leaves, and top with a slice of Prociutto.

Drizzle with a little exta-virgin olive oil and place on a platter or board and serve. 

Buon appetito!

MUSSELS WITH GARLIC & WHITE WINE

This is a delicious and simple recipe to make. You won't find it better in any restaurant. Buy the best and freshest mussels you can find which makes all the difference.

Lee's Kitchen Tips: 

Ask your fishmonger if your mussels are wild or cultivated. If they are wild, make sure they have beards attached. Do not remove beards until just before cooking. Removing the beards causes the mussels to slowly die. Wild mussels have a slightly stronger flavor. Cultivated mussels do not have any noticeable beards and have a more delicate taste. 

2 lbs fresh mussels, beards attached

2 T unsalted butter

2 T avocado oil

2 large shallots or 1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry white wine or white vermouth

1 t fresh thyme leaves or ½ t dried thyme

½ t red pepper flakes (optional)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 T chopped Italian parsley

Lemon wedges, for serving

Crusty Italian bread

Scrub the mussels with a brush under cold running water. 
Place in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large heavy pot, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. 
Add shallots or onion and sauté for 5 minutes.                                                                  
Add garlic and sauté another minute. 
Add the thyme, and red pepper flakes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, then add the wine and bring to a boil. 

Remove mussels from the refrigerator and using "kitchen-only" pliers, remove beards.
Add mussels to the pot, cover, reduce heat and simmer until shells open, about 5 to 6 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels.

Ladle into a warm serving bowl or two smaller warm bowls and garnish with parsley.

Serve with lemon wedges and crusty bread for dipping.

Serves 2

SHREDDED BEEF SANDWICHES WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS & PEPERONCINI

This sandwich makes a delicious dinner accompanied with a salad or soup. There is enough left over for another couple of dinners or lunches. The entire house had the amazing aroma of that chuck roast slowly cooking in my oven for hours.  You can use a slow-cooker, but brown the meat first.

2 T avocado or olive oil, divided

2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced

3 ½ to 4 lb chuck or rump roast trimmed of excess fat

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cups beef broth

1 T roasted beef base (in an 8-oz jar)

2 fresh rosemary sprigs

1 T fresh oregano sprigs or freeze-dried

4 cloves garlic, cut in half

Provolone cheese, sliced

Golden peperoncini in a jar with juice

Buttered and toasted Italian hoagie rolls

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat one tablespoon of the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions, for about 15 minutes until caramelized; stirring often.

Remove and set aside on the counter in a bowl and cover.

Season the roast on both sides with salt and pepper.

To the same pot, add the other tablespoon of oil and brown the roast on both sides.

When brown, add the beef broth, beef roasted beef base, rosemary, oregano, garlic, and juice from the ½ the jar of peperoncini.

Cover with a lid and bake in a 275 degree F oven for 6 hours.

Remove from oven and carefully transfer roast to a cutting board and let cool a few minutes..

While roast is cooling, pour the beef broth from the pot through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan. Keep warm on the stove.

Using two forks, shred the beef completely and place in a medium saucepan and keep warm on the stove. Discard any fat that may be on the roast.

To Assemble

Place a generous amount of shredded beef on the bottoms of the toasted rolls.

Add some of the caramelized onions.

Top with cheese and place under a broiler for just a couple of minutes; long enough to melt the cheese.

Top with a few peperoncini, trimmed of stems.

Serve with individual small bowls of the beef juice for dipping the sandwiches.

Makes 6 to 8 sandwiches

ITALIAN GREEN BEANS - Fagioli Verdi

I have been making these green beans for 30 years.  It is one of my daughter's favorite. It's also great to take to a potluck dinner. 

2 lbs green beans, trimmed and broken in half

2 T olive oil

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

½ cup Italian black olives or Kalamata olives, chopped

½ cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

¼ cup dry white wine

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

½ lemon, zested

2 T chopped Italian parsley

2 T chopped basil

In a large deep skillet, add water to about ½ full.

Bring to a boil, add the beans, partially cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour into a colander to drain, and set aside.

In the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sauté the shallots for 5 minutes.

Add garlic and sauté another 2 minutes.

Add the olives, tomatoes, green bean, wine, and lemon zest.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover and simmer 3 minutes, stirring a couple of times.

Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with lemon zest, parsley, and basil.

Serves 8 to 10

                                      

ITALIAN ANTIPASTI

Castelvetrano olives, red grapes, Pecorino Romano cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Prosciutto di Parma, Genoa salami, Calabrese salami, and Brown Turkey figs. . .a feast for the eyes and little bites for the stomach.

Antipasti is plural for Antipasto.