SERVES 2
A friend of ours we went to high school with, Mike, his mom always dreamed of opening a restaurant. She was this big woman—the whole family was big—and she loved to cook and feed people. Well, one day she moved down to Florida, got remarried to a man from there—you know, a real swamp guy with a pontoon boat, overalls, and whatnot—and made it happen. We’d go out there and visit Mike, and she’d make us this dish. You know shrimp toast from a Chinese restaurant? This was like that. It was chicken rollatini stuffed with mushrooms and onions and muzzarell, but the twist was that she breaded ’em with slices of Wonder Bread, then deep-fried the whole thing. It had that spongy, golden shrimp toast effect on the outside and on the inside the chicken was cooked perfectly, with the juices all locked in. We wanted to put it on our mothers’ menu but Fran’s mother kept saying, “It’s too greasy; you’re gonna kill somebody with that thing!” But we think it’s an excellent dish.
2 tablespoons salted butter
1½ cups button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup dry white wine
2 large chicken breasts, pounded to a ¼-inch thickness
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
All-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
6 slices Wonder Bread, crusts removed
2 cups olive oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 button mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup diced fresh tomato
½ cup white wine
1½ cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
In a frying pan, combine the butter, mushrooms, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the onions are caramelized. Add the white wine and let it cook off almost completely.
Lay the chicken breasts on a flat surface and spoon about 5 tablespoons of the sautéed mixture on the center of each. Divide the mozzarella evenly between the 2 breasts. Roll each breast into a rollatini. Dredge the rollatini in flour and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 500°F.
Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl. Dip the floured rollatini into the egg mixture and coat well. Then wrap each rollatini entirely with 3 slices of bread: one on top, one on the bottom, and a half on each side. The bread might not cooperate with you, but do the best you can. Use more egg to help the bread stick, if necessary.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Fry the rollatini in the hot oil until deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
Transfer the rollatini to a baking sheet and bake for at least 20 minutes. Slice a rollatini in half to test for doneness—the meat should be completely white with no traces of pink.
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms, tomato, and wine. Let cook for 2 minutes, then add the heavy cream, butter, salt, and pepper. Lower the flame and let the sauce reduce while whisking until it becomes creamy. Pour over chicken and serve.
(ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP)
SERVES 6 TO 8
We never actually called this “Italian Wedding Soup,” and we’re not sure if this is really what you’d eat at an Italian wedding, but we do know that it is one delicious dish. Our grandma made it on weekends because it’d take some time to roll out all the little meatballs. She’d cook them first, then make a bone broth with carrots, celery, and onions—which would get just the right amount of grease from the bones—and add in some tomatoes and escarole. Then she’d serve it with pasta or rice and grated cheese.
½ cup olive oil
2 white onions, cut into wedges
1 pound beef short ribs
1 pound beef neck bones
¼ cup salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 cups Cooked Sauce (here)
1 batch Grandma’s Meatballs (here), uncooked, rolled into tablespoon-size balls
3 heads escarole, rinsed well and chopped
1 pound ditalini
In a large saucepot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the short ribs, neck bones, salt, and pepper and cook for 15 minutes. Add the sauce and sauté for 5 minutes more.
Pour in 16 cups water and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the meatballs and cook for 30 minutes, then add the escarole, cooking just until it gets soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Keep the mixture at a boil and add the pasta. Cook according to the package directions until the pasta is al dente. Serve.