Chicken Parmesan: How YOU doin'?

My son, a.k.a. The Beast, is an eating machine and one his favorite treats when we go out to eat is chicken parmesan. He's been hockin' me for months to try and make it at home and today was the day I finally came through.

I'd never made it before and was procrastinating since my track record with classic Italian dishes was pretty dismal. Below is an adaptation of different recipes I found online with a couple of variations of my own. I made a simple salad plus batch of whole wheat penne as a side thinking that the humongous chicken breasts wouldn't be enough. (I really am my mother's daughter.)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup whole wheat, unbleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon majoram
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of pepper
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)*
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Olive Oil Sprayer**
• 1/2 cup of tomato sauce***
• About a 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• About 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

PREP

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. On a large cutting board, place each breast between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to about 1/2-inch thickness using a mallet or rolling pin and set aside.

3. Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow dish; place beaten eggs in a bowl. Place panko in another shallow dish. Dredge one breast at a time in the flour mixture. Dip in egg; dredge in panko. Repeat with remaining chicken.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook about 2 minutes until golden brown. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Turn chicken over; cook another 2 minutes until browned.

5. Turn off heat then coat chicken lightly with olive oil using the sprayer; place pan in oven. Bake at 450° for about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over; top each breast with a couple of tablespoons of tomato sauce then top with Parmigiano-Reggiano, and some mozzarella. Bake another 5 minutes or until chicken is done.

Let chicken rest in the pan for a couple of minutes then serve it up!

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NOTES:

* I used Progresso Panko "Crispy Bread Crumbs-Plain". It had the least amount of sodium (50 mg) of all the supermarket options I checked out. Other brands were sporting close to 300 mg. My blood pressure is rising just thinking about it.

** One of the recipes I found called for off-the-shelf cooking spray. That stuff's got a couple of additives that I can live without so I prefer using an olive oil sprayer that you can refill - no funky stuff and I get to save a couple carbon credits. Amazon has a few options ranging from about $9 to $34 depending on how fancy you'd like to get and how much you want to spend.

*** I used some leftover sauce from my husband's lasagna that we had in a deep freeze. If you don't have your own, homemade sauce handy, the ready made tomato-basil stuff that comes in a jar is OK too.

Say "Cheese!"

If you consider cheese a necessary evil and live in Rockland County, check out Laraia's Cheese Shop in Nanuet, NY. My husband is getting ready to rock out a couple of lasagnas, was looking for ricotta and mozzarella that was a step above Polly-O, and found this place on the web. When we first started dating he was hosting Pasta Parties annually in his apartment and always included a lasagna for both the herbivores and the omnivores with tons of extra sauce. That was a long time ago and he has wisely decided that it has been long enough. I'm planning to be his Sous Chef on this one because the last time I tried making one of these it was less a lasagna and more a pan of noodles swimming in a pool of cheesy water. (Who's hungry?)

The fact that I never noticed this place is amazing to me because it's right on the way to the Rockland Bakery (which, as I've mentioned, I frequent almost every weekend). That being said, it does sit in a weird spot - it's in close proximity to a landscaping business and right next to an automotive shop. It's odd to see the Cheese Shop's other immediate neighbors within the same coordinates - Carousel Cakes and Pancakes Plus. (Two places I've got on my radar and I'm itchin' to try.)

This mom-and-pop shop has a lot to offer from such a small space. They've got all different kinds of fresh mozzarella that they make by hand themselves, a big selection of aged cheeses, freshly made pasta and all sorts of gourmet acccoutrements. We got what we need for our family Pasta Party so we'll see if their products are as good as they look.

Veggie-Palooza

When I started my part-time vegetarian gig I discovered how easy it was to prep a supply of roasted veggies that I could dip into over the course of a few days. I spent some time this weekend pumping out the stuff you see pictured here. It's a beautiful thing because it gives me no-brainer options for lunch, a snack, or main course. And since it can be served cold or at room temp it ups the convenience factor significantly - on a scale of 1-10, "it goes to 11" (for you Spinal Tap fans).

Here was my shopping list:*

3 medium-sized zucchini

6 small yellow squash (or 3-4 larger ones)

3 medium-sized eggplant

2 sweet red peppers

Extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

*Note: The volume of veggies you want to roast is completely up to you and should depend how much you think you can consume before it starts looking like a science experiment.

Turn the oven to broil and position the rack in the middle. Slice up the zukes and squash length-wise into flat pieces about 4-5 inches long and a 1/4 inch thick. Slice the eggplant into rounds, about a 1/2 inch thick, and the peppers into strips. If your oven is big enough to accommodate two broiler pans side by side, go for it. Otherwise one at a time works just fine, too. Using a brush, coat the bottom of each pan with a thin coat of olive oil. Lay the veggie slices in one layer in each pan and broil for approximately 5-7 minutes. Pull the pans out, turn the veggies over and broil for another 5-7 minutes depending on how charred you like them.

Stack some of these on a plate with fresh mozzarella cheese then drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar for some carb-free goodness. Try adding slices of tomato or swapping out the mozzarella for slices of provolone and stuffing the whole thing into a sandwich configuration with a toasted ciabatta roll, a pita, or a wrap with some lettuce.