Pork Scallopini w/Garlic and Parmesan Pasta

Family favorite time!  This actually is a recipe I thought I blogged LONG ago.  I realized I never had and it was what we had for Sunday supper last night!  I love sharing our family favorites with you guys.  It makes me feel like I am spreading the love for my family to you and yours!  Sunday supper is a big deal in our family as most of you already know.  I believe strongly in starting the week out with a big family meal, it grounds us, reminds of what is really important in our lives and gives us a chance to talk about the week.  We reminisce, laugh, visit, eat great food and spend time with the people we love.  Friends OR family alike.   I encourage everyone to eat around the table with their children and families.  I don't care WHAT you eat, just do it with your kids!   I don't care if kids live with one parent or 2, grandparents, aunts and uncles, or foster parents,  I believe it teaches them to care about others, cope, problem solve and know they have someone they can trust to talk about anything to.  I get busy parents, long hours at work and just wanting some down time.  But guess what.....it is a labor of love!

Anyway, off  of my soapbox.  Scallopini can be made with chicken, pork or veal most commonly.  I like it best with pork.  Scallopini just means it is thin, pounded very thin with a meat mallet.  I used a pork tenderloin for this.  I almost always do.  You know those big huge ones that go on sale somewhere pretty often?  I cut them into 3 or 4 pieces and Ziploc those babies into the freezer.  Anyway I cut about 1 inch slices and then pounded them out.  I used about a 3 lb piece.  It made about 8 pieces.  It also has a gorgeous wine sauce that gets spooned over the top!

Here is what you will need for the Pork Scallopini 
Pork loin or boneless chops,  pound thin. 
1 cup flour
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
pinch of pepper

Mix these dry ingredients up to use as your dredge.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Heat a skillet up with 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter.  Dip each piece of pork into the flour mixture, one side and then the other, pressing down to get as much stuck to the pork as possible.  Fry 2-3 minutes on each side.  Put on a baking sheet in the oven to keep warm.  Do this until all pork is fried!  DO NOT burn any of it because you will use the drippings and "stuff" left in the pan for your pan sauce!

Sauce:
2 cups white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp fresh parsley (dried is fine if you don't have fresh or leave it out if you don't care for it)
1 tbsp butter

While pan is still hot from frying your pork, deglaze with white wine.  Using a wooden paddle spoon or something with a flat edge, scrape up the bits off the bottom while it is bubbling.  Add in chicken stock and let simmer uncovered until reduced by half and shut off the heat  Add in butter and parsley before serving.  There won't be alot, this isn't a gravy, it is just meant to get a spoonful drizzled over the meat.  If you feel you want more, it is easy to just increase your ingredients!

Parmesan Pasta:
1 lb any long pasta.  Spaghetti, fettuchini, linguine, angel hair, whatever you choose!
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh minced garlic
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.  While it is draining, in the empty pot, add butter and olive oil, and garlic.  Put it back on your warm burner and turn on low.  Stir until butter is melted and the "bite" has cooked out of the garlic.  Add your pasta back in and toss it with the the mixture.  Add in cheese and toss again.  Serve with your scallopini!

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!!

Your "miss having my kids and granddaughter for Sunday supper" chefwannabe

Delicious!!!! Chicken Saltimbocca

Good evening friends!

I hope this finds you all almost home from a long day at work, and contemplating what is for dinner.  I mean after all, is there anything more important at the end of a long day?  Ok, confession, I started this blog, then went to a church function and now it is 10pm.  If you are still contemplating dinner and have not fed your children, I am calling an intervention.

This recipe came out of some craving, and some curiosity.  I was sick of the same chicken dishes, over and over.  I am a huge fan of the ol' poultry myself, so to find new ways of making it is always in the front of my food thoughts.  When I asked my mother- in -law about it, she said...."it's my favorite".  How could she have never made this for me?  What kind of mother-in-law keeps dishes like this to herself?!?!  I need to rethink my approach with this woman...maybe hold her chocolate making goods for ransom.  Ransom being any other recipes she is keeping from me all while savoring the goodness for herself! HA!   Ok, anyway, it can be made with veal as well, so keep that in mind.  I loved this dish, it has been a very good food week for me!

This chicken recipe is easy and quick.  It does require ingredients you may or may not usually have on hand.  I served it over pasta, and some some bruschetta.  *that recipe to follow soon*  When you pound your chicken breasts so thinly, they take so little time to cook through, they have no time to dry out.  I did use a combination of butter and olive oil because, I mean, well, EVERYTHING is better with butter!  The sage can also be omitted, another thing my mother-in-law does since she does dislike sage.  Though as you will see, I laid whole sage leaves across the chicken, you could also chop it and sprinkle it for a little less sage taste.  It does give it a great background flavor that I would personally miss if it wasn't there.

I will write this recipe up for 6 portions.  You can make 2 or 6 in really the same amount of time, so make extra because my husband suggested, with a leftover piece, you could add some provolone or mozzarella cheese and make it into a panini.  I am quadruple excited about anything that can be made into something totally different as a leftover.  I can however, never give him credit for the idea, you women with husbands know how this goes.  If he thinks he had a great idea.......I will never hear the end of it and if you comment on his idea, it could be the death of me!  HAHA   Just kidding, kind of.

Ok, since I KNOW your on the edge of your seat.  Lets do this peeps!  Get a romantic dinner for 2 set up, go to the food store and get these things for 6 portions.


Grocery List
6 chicken breasts, butterfly them and pound them out thin or perhaps you can by cutlets already thin
6 pieces of THINLY sliced prosciutto (12 if breasts are going to be ginormous....umm....nvm)
18 sage leaves
3/4 to 1 cup  bottle of white wine
1/2 chicken stock
1/4 cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
flour

Make sure all chicken breasts are pounded out equally in thickness. Dust chicken in flour and salt and pepper.  Lay leaves on the top of each piece and then lay a piece of prosciutto over the entire piece of chicken. (might take 2 pieces) In a saute pan, melt 1 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp olive oil.  When ready, add in your chicken, prosciutto side down.  Saute on each side approx 3 minutes, or however long you need for the thickness of your chicken breasts.  Do as many at a time as you can.  When they are done, put on a baking sheet topped with a wire rack in the oven just on warm to keep them warm.  When all chicken is done, deglaze your pan with your wine.  Must be white!  Whisk in chicken stock and last tbsp of butter.  Let simmer 2 -3 minutes and add in Parmesan cheese. Continue whisking and letting reduce and thicken until it is the consistency you would like.   Serve on top of a bed of buttered spaghetti and drizzle some sauce over the top.
                                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now here are some things that you have options on.  Sage can be chopped or laid whole across the chicken.  My prosciutto was cut to thick by my butcher.  However, I kind of enjoyed it.  I used domestic prosciutto and I considered what was likely available in all parts of the country.  I personally am not a huge fan of the expensive "di Parma" prosciutto.  I find it far to salty for my liking most of the time.  I can purchase it at my local Italian Deli for 29.00/lb.  Domestic I can get at my local food store, for 10.00/lb.   You will not need near a pound by the way.  When you choose a wine to cook with, make sure it is one you would enjoy drinking.  The flavor will concentrate so if you hate the taste of it from a glass, you certainly won't like it cooked into your pan sauce!  Also remember you can chop your sage or use it whole.  *I know there are 4 leaves in my photo*

I hope you try this, you will love it.  Its something likely out of your regular culinary treasure box, but not so far off your family won't try it or LOVE it.  I promise!


Your tired, but happy chefwannabe,

Chris