Pastoral Farms | A Weblog

Chicken Parmesan – Mother’s Day 2013

Mother’s Day yesterday was alright. I got two gift cards, one for Michael’s and one for Best Buy.

I also was given a LEGO set, Iron Man 3 –> attack at sea or something. I could do better with the set name, but I just don’t care right now. I built it last night. I like the missle firing setup in the boat. It’s not the best set though, and just something that makes me think I must have fallen asleep at the movie. I really can’t come up with a scene to go with the set.

Uh oh.

Anyhow, pickings for food are on the slim side, haven’t gone food shopping a lot of late, so whatever is in the freezer has been what we have been making. So it’s Mother’s Day, I ended up doing the most of the cooking. Figures.

My husband used to cook the dish we had, no problem way back. I still have the same recipe book he used back then. It didn’t help. He did do some of it, but it was rather sub-par and so I had to be involved.

Chicken Parmesan

I prefer the advanced method for coating the chicken breasts. (Many recipes use a lesser method)

Dip the chicken into flour, thoroughly coating it.

Dip the chicken into egg/milk mixture, thoroughly coating it.

Put the chicken breast into bread crumbs, thoroughly coating it, carefully placing it in a hot pan with olive oil to brown on each side, then carefully put on a platter, add the sauce to the pan, heat that up and then put the chicken breast into the sauce until “done” then cover with shredded mozzarella and top with grated Pecorino Romano.

As for sauce, just a good marinara. I make it from scratch, canned tomatoes, olive oil, onions, garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, sea salt. Sometimes I’ll add a bottle of pureed tomato. Depending on what kind of tomatoes, whole, diced, crushed, it needs to cook longer or shorter amounts of time. I cook it until the colour is a deep red (loses that fresh blood red colour.)

Smothered Chicken (in Creamy Sauce)

Smothered Chicken (in Creamy Sauce) – Stovetop version

Chicken Breasts, brown on each side, set aside. (One for each person)

In large pot put onion, diced, lots of garlic, smashed, into olive oil, and cook until onion is translucent. (One onion, less or more, and several garlic cloves)

Put the browned chicken breasts on top of the onions and garlic. Add a couple cups of chicken stock (or water), plus a tablespoon of Soy Sauce, a tablespoon of chicken base.

Cook until chicken is done, no more pink remaining, tender, but not falling apart.

While the chicken is cooking make a sauce base which you’ll add to the chicken later.

Several cloves of garlic, smashed, cooked in olive oil a few minutes. Add butter and olive oil and flour (3T of butter, 3T oil, 6T flour) … stir together well and cook until bubbly, add 2 C milk, stir well until the mixture heats up and gets thick.

When the chicken is ready, add the sauce into the pot with the chicken, stock, onions, etc. Stir it in some, it’ll seem clumpy and not mixed well. It will integrate into a thick, rich sauce.

Cook for another 20 minutes or so. (Carefully remove chicken from sauce, put on platter and put sauce into a bowl with a serving spoon.)

Serve over rice or noodles. Adjust amounts up or down for your family needs.

Dinner Rolls

This is a recipe that we have been using. It started from my years of baking experience and a recipe from a cookbook, putting the two things together. It’s mine, therefore.

Dinner Rolls (Any shape you want!)

Heat the oven to 350°F

First thing is to warm the milk and melt the butter, etc.

1 cup milk
1 stick of butter, cut into pieces
1/4 sugar
1 tsp. sea salt

Heat on low until butter mostly melts.
Take off of the stove.

1 package or 2 1/4 tsp. active yeast

Sprinkle the active yeast onto the milk mixture, let it sit until softened, then stir.

Flour – 3 1/2 to 4 cups

Stir in as must flour as you can by hand, then put out on a kneading surface and continue kneading until smooth, or use a stand mixer to need, adding flour by the 1/4 cup or 1 Tablespoon until it doesn’t need anymore and knead until smooth.

Form into a ball and put oil in the bowl, then turn the ball of dough upside-down there and swirl it around to
distribute the oil. Turn the dough right-side-up. Allow to rise until doubled, then make into shapes and bake when desired.

This can be put into a bag to slow rise in the fridge. Make it on day 1 and on day 2 use it. Bring the bag out and put the dough into an oiled bowl to come to room temperature, then punch down and shape and bake until golden brown.

This recipe makes about 12 large rolls.