Chicken Francese

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, with rind, cut in thin rounds
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, beat the eggs with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet.

Dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once. Remove the chicken cutlets to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice, simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. Roll the butter in some flour and add it to the skillet, this will thicken the sauce. Stir to incorporate and dissolve the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and return the chicken to the pan; place the lemon slices on top of the cutlets. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Pan-fried sole or tilapia with lemon and capers

Ingredients:
2-3 Tbsp flour
4 lemon sole or tilapia fillets  
3 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp rinsed bottled capers
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh flat-leaf parsley and lemon wedges, to garnish

Season the flour with salt and black pepper.  Coat the sole fillets evenly on both sides.  Heat the oil with half the butter in a large shallow pan until foaming.  Add two sole filets and fry over medium heat for 2-3 minute on each side.

Lift out the sole filets with a spatula and place on a warmed serving platter.  Keep hot.  Fry the remaining sole filets.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice and remaining butter.  Return the pan to high heat and stir vigorously until the pan juices are sizzling and beginning to turn golden brown.  Remove from the heat and stir in the capers.

Pour the pan juices over the sole, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with the parsley.  Add the lemon wedges and serve immediately.  

Cook's Tip:
It is important to cook the pan juices to the right color after removing the fish.  Too pale, and they will taste insipid.  Too dark, and they may taste bitter.  Take great care not to be distracted at this point so that you can watch the color the juices change to a golden brown. 

Dutch Chocolate Cake

2/3 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
4 melted unsweetened chocolate squares (4 oz)
2 2/3 cups flour
2 cups boiling water

Blend ingredients up to and including chocolate.
Add flour and water alternately for two minutes on medium speed.
Turks head pan -- 350 -- 1 hour to an hour 15 minutes.
Cool in pan one hour.

Buttercream Icing
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp flour
Cook to paste, stirring, then let get cold.

Softened stick of butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Beat until creamy.

Add cold flour mixture. Beat until fluffy.

Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake

One of Mom-mom Joan's specialties. Moist and delicious.

1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 6oz. package chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Sift together dry ingredients. Combine sour cream and milk with butter and egg mixture. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture a little at a time. Beat alternately and add vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour half the batter into a greased and floured 10 inch tube or bundt pan. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle half of sugar mixture over batter. Pour in remaining batter and sprinkle remainder of sugar/cinnamon mixture on top.

Bake 375 for 45 minutes.

Grandmom Nasuti's Bread

This is an Italian white bread from Mom's grandmother, Antoinette Nasuti. Every Sunday Mom would go to her grandmother's and this is the smell she most associates with their home. It was always warm and fresh out of the oven.

6 cups flour
2 packages of dry yeast
tsp olive oil
pinch of salt
warm water

Mix ingredients. Cover in an air tight container and let sit in a warm spot approximately 4 hours, until it increases 3 times its volume. Put on floured board. Cut and shape into loaves. Stand 15 minutes. Bake in oven 40 minutes. 425 to start (20 minutes). 400 to finish (20 minutes).

Apple Crisp

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 unbeaten eggs
6 granny smith apples
2 sticks butter
Cinnamon and sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and slice apples. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and eggs. Place sliced apples in a 9x13 pan (fill almost to top). Pour mixture over top. Melt 2 sticks of butter and pour over top. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake 30-40 minutes.

Grandmom Fala's Scrippelle (crepe) Soup

Scrippelle - Italian crepe soup in broth.  This recipe comes from Yolanda's mother, Carmela.


Crepes (recipe below)
Parmesan
Black pepper
Broth

To make 35-40 crepes:
3 eggs
1 cup flour
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

To make 75-80 crepes:
6 eggs
2 cups flour
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients and cook individually in small cast iron skillet.

Sprinkle inside of crepe with a mixture of parmesan and black pepper. Roll crepe and add to a warm bowl of broth.

Crepes can also be used to make layered lasagna or manicotti.  

Italian Wedding (Escarole) Soup

Meatballs, rolled into small pea-sized balls (or slightly larger)
Escarole, roughly chopped
Croutons (recipe below)
Broth

Frittata:
6 eggs
2 cups of flour
1 cup of water
fresh chopped parsley
pinch of salt and pepper

Cook like a pancake in a small crepe pan. Flip over. Place on cutting board. Cut into small pieces. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Or bake frittata in 11 x 16 x 1 inch high cookie sheet.  Grease pan and bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  

To assemble the soup:
Add meatballs, roughly chopped escarole and croutons to broth and serve.

Pop-pop Reds' Crepes

This recipe comes from Ernest "Reds" Chamberlain, Dad's maternal grandfather. These are dessert crepes.

1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
salt
1/2 cup milk

Combine and create.

Rice Pudding

This is one of my personal favorites. The recipe comes from Joann Denicolo's grandmother, Josie. Joann's mother, Jennie, and brother, Tommy, kept the recipe alive by serving it at Tommy's Italian deli in Blackwood, NJ, Denicolo's Deli. To this day, Joann still makes this delectable dessert, and was kind enough to share the story with us!

Half gallon (or more) of milk

1 cup of rice
1 cup of sugar (old recipe call for 1 3/4 cups but you may find one cup to be adequate)
2 tsp vanilla (don't put this in until it's almost cooked)
3 eggs, beaten

Combine everything except vanilla and eggs in a pot on the stove over low heat for 3 hours until very thick. Stir every 10 minutes or so. The pudding liquid should be almost absorbed, but there should still be some remaining. Rice will rise to the top and should be soft. Remove from heat. Beat the eggs, then add in thirds (as if one at a time), stirring quickly. If you add too slowly, the white part starts to cook. The pudding should be hot when adding the eggs. Add vanilla and stir.

Top with cinnamon and enjoy a little piece of heaven!