Weekend Cooking...Pollo alla Trombino

I am an admitted fan of Lidia Bastianich, of her cookbooks and of her TV show. So while I have not seen her latest cookbook yet, I have seen her PBS series that goes along with it, Lidia's Italy in America.

"Lidia talks about growing up in Italy, her family’s struggle to come to America, her introduction to Italian-American food, and her subsequent rediscovery of authentic regional Italian cuisine. Bringing her story back to the US, Lidia’s latest book and public television series, Lidia’s Italy in America, pay homage the people and places that carry on the Italian-American spirit."

When I saw the episode for Philadelphia was on, you know I had to watch it! And I was glad that I did, because Lidia made this delicious chicken recipe from Ralph’s Italian Restaurant, a Philadelphia landmark opened in 1900 by Francesco Dispigno. Ralph's claims to be the oldest Italian restaurant in America still run by the same family and this dish has been on the menu as long as anyone can remember.

 

Pollo alla Trombino

serves: 4 to 6

ingredients:

• 4  6 to 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 8-ounces roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup grated provolone cheese
• 2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil

 

directions:

Cut each chicken breast on a bias with a sharp chef’s knife, making two slices out of each breast. Pound a bit, if needed, to make them evenly thick. Season chicken all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread flour on a  plate, then dredge chicken in flour and tap off excess. Melt the butter and the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the chicken and cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Flip the pieces, and brown the other side, about 2 minutes more.

When the chicken is browned, remove the chicken to a plate for a moment and pour the tomatoes, roasted peppers, oregano, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt into skillet. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the separate ingredients come together as a sauce, about 5 minutes. Place the chicken back in the pan.

Sprinkle the dish with the cheese and shredded basil. Cover the skillet, and simmer just until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes more.

If this is the sort of recipe in her new book, I really must get a copy of it!
This chicken is simple and delicious, last enough for a quick weeknight dinner, yet good enough to serve guests. I though that maybe there were not enough ingredients to be really interesting, but as is often true, I was wrong.
Still, I made few little changes to this one. I pounded the chicken a bit to make the pieces even, nice and thin, to cook nice and quick. I used canned diced tomatoes because fresh ones are not in season here yet and roasted peppers from my deli rather than the jarred ones Lidia used.
Oh and you may notice I added some asparagus...because I had some. Very nice addition I thought, but not necessary.
Either way, very tasty!

 

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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