making the vongole sauce

To make the sauce you will need the following ingredients:

• 1/2 pound mussels
• 1/2 pound little neck clams – preferably as small as they have
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• about 10 cherry tomatoes or 2 larger tomatoes, diced
• a handful of italian parsley
• a handful or basil, chopped
• a cup of dry white wine
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and pepper
• hot pepper flakes (like the kind you put on pizza)
• 4 shallots, diced

Soak the mussels and clams in salt water for 10 minutes and rub them together to get the dirt and gunk off.  Heat the oil and saute the shallots.  Drop spaghetti into salted, boiling water.  Add the garlic and tomatoes to the oil and crush them with the back of a wooden spoon, let cook on medium high heat for about 6 minutes while stirring occasionally.  Add the parsley, basil and mussels and clams and cover and continue cooking on medium high heat until they all open.  Remove from heat.  When spaghetti is ready (about 7-10 minutes) drain water and add sauce and toss together.  Garnish with a little parsley.

The eating crew

Chicken Milanese is pretty easy to make.  The hardest part is pounding it flat to about a quarter to a half inch thick.  Here’s my special recipe (inspired by Dr/Chef Bordow):

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• about 3 cups breadcrumbs – you want about 3/4 cup for each breast, I just bought mine pre-made at Whole Foods but you can make your own from bread that’s a few days old or with a new baguette that’s been baked at low temperature for about an hour until its real hard
• 2 large lemons
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp. italian seasoning – pre-made or use oregano, thyme, rosemary, etc. to taste
• 4 large shallots
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup cheap white wine
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• italian parsley
• 2 eggs (2 eggs per 3 pieces of chicken) beaten in a small bowl

Breadcrumbs:  In a food processor or blender add baked baguette or pre-made breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, teaspoons of salt and pepper, lemon zest of 2 lemon and italian seasonings.  You can also add a little lemon juice if you like citrus, lord knows I do.  Blend until very fine and then pour out into large mixing bowl.

The Chicken: Marinade the breasts in a sealable container with the olive oil, salt and italian seasoning (and fresh spices if you have them) for at least 30 minutes, an hour is better.  Place the chicken on a cutting board and place a sheet of wax paper over it to prevent splattering.  With a mallet or a pan or something hard, pound the chicken to about 1/2 inch thick.  Dip the pounded chicken into the egg and make sure to cover it completely.  Then put the chicken into the breadcrumb mixture and cover it completely, patting it and making sure not to leave any open spots.  Place the chicken in a lightly oiled oven pan, like a cookie sheet (see pics below).  For a little extra flavor, put a little slice of butter on each piece.  And how.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes at 450° depending on the thickness of your chicken.

Loads and loads of chicken milanese

The Sauce:  Dump the rest of the chicken marinade into a large pan and heat.  Add diced shallots once the oil gets hot.  Add crushed garlic (I use precrushed frozen garlic from Trader Joes… it’s easier).  Squeeze in the lemon juice from the lemons and then dice up the lemons and add them in as well.  Once they’ve sauteed for about 5 minutes, add in the wine and let it reduce on medium heat until the chicken is ready.

Chicken milanese sauce

Pour the sauce over the chicken and garnish with italian parsley.  Mmm mm good.  The potato recipe will be coming soon courtesy of Mr. Scott.