The Seasoned Noob Rotating Header Image

Italian

Chicken Parmesan

Dec 3rd, 2008
by dave.
No comments yet

Chicken Parmesan

Everytime I end up in Davis Square, I always stop by Dave’s Fresh Pasta and pick up some form of fresh pasta. This last time, I picked up some basil & lemon papardelle (I think it was basil & lemon at least) among the usual sandwich and multitudes of other tasty goodies :)

So, with that in mind (and in hand), and with some freshly made tomato sauce (for another post anyway), I set off making one of the classic dishes that you seem to find in almost every Italian restaurant, Chicken Parmesan. I remember eating this all the time growing up whenever my family went out and occasionally, I’ll see it in the cafeteria at work but otherwise, I don’t have it very often.

The recipe I used was inspired by Simply Recipes, one of the most well-designed and easy to use sites around (And that’s not even mentioning the wealth of great recipes!). As soon as I looked at this recipe, I knew I had to try it out, and sure enough, it turned out well! I did make a couple substitutions but they were rather minor, chicken breast for chicken thighs and eggs instead of butter for dredging.

Chicken Parmesan

Serves 4-6
Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:
- 2-3 eggs (Can substitute butter)
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup bread crumbs (plain)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan (or Romano) cheese
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning (basil, parsley, oregano)
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp garlic salt
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 lbs chicken breasts/thighs, pounded, cut into large pieces
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Method:

1. Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic salt, parsley, and black pepper in a bowl. Put eggs (beaten) and flour in two separate bowls.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Dredge the chicken first in the flour, then the eggs, then the bread crumb mix.
4. Set on a baking sheet (greased or foiled)
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
6. At 15 minute mark, drizzle some mozzerella cheese on top. Or, remove into a bakeable dish, spoon some tomato sauce on, and drizzle mozzarella cheese.

Cannoli Frenzy!

Jun 25th, 2008
by dave.
No comments yet

Mike’s Pastry cannoli

Whenever I end up in the North End, I always try to grab a meal and dessert. It’s hard to be hungry after a huge Italian meal but I just have to always have that extra cannoli. Usually, I’ll stop by Mike’s Pastries and grab their chocolate coated cannoli but sometimes the line is out the door and around the corner!

So after trying a couple other places, the roommate and I decided to have a taste test of our two favorite pastry shops, Modern Pastry and Mike’s Pastry.

And our verdict? You can’t go wrong with either one :P

Mike’s cannoli is slightly larger but you do pay a little more for it, but other than that, I’d go for whichever line is shorter!

Modern Pastry cannoli

Carlos Cucina Italiana – Allston

Jun 22nd, 2008
by dave.
2 comments

Fettucini alla Marysa

Usually, when I think about grabbing Italian food, the North End immediately pops into mind where restaurants are two storefronts apart and the cannoli are aplenty :P

But recently I ended up at Carlos Cucina Italiana right in the heart of Allston on Brighton Ave. I’d read a lot of reviews and news about Carlos’ but I’d never had a chance to eat there myself…the only times I seemed to end up there were on Friday or Saturday nights and the place was always jam packed (which is a good sign I suppose!). Finally, I happened by during lunch last week with the roommate and figured what the heck, it wasn’t busy so we might as well try it out.

The restaurant itself is pretty small, roughly 12 tables in total. The decor on the walls and the ceiling suit the Italian theme very well however the tables and chairs don’t match up well at all.

After looking at the lunch menu, we decided we had to eat off of the dinner menu (after all, that’s where Carlos’ specialties are!) and the waitress was kind enough to suggest a few dishes.

I had the Fettucini alla Marysa and the roommate had the Gnocchi Spezzatino (pictures below). I devoured my meal with almost unnatural haste!

Gnocchi Spezzatino

Mamma Maria – North End

Apr 13th, 2008
by dave.
2 comments

I know this may be horrific, but I actually never physically went to the North End in the 5-6 years I’ve lived in the Greater Boston area. And frankly, I’m hating myself for it. I’d heard about many delicious places and of the heavenly cannoli at Mike’s Pastries (Separate post coming!) but I have no idea why I never got off my lazy backside to visit.

Anyway, I met a few friends for dinner in the North End at their insistence and figured that this would be a great opportunity to test the waters. One of my coworkers suggested that I try out Mamma Maria so with that handy information, we strode boldly through the doors without even looking at the menu!

The restaurant itself is located right off of Hannover Street, the main thoroughfare in the North End. It’s build into a multistory building where each floor has seating in a house-like decor, which was very pretty. Initially, the building feels a little cramped (there’s not much in the way of waiting space) but once we got upstairs, the restaurant opened right up.

They served us some fresh bread with olives and a pesto spread, which were excellent while we waited in eager anticipation for the main course. And when it arrived, I couldn’t be more surprised with how excellent the meal was. It’s on the expensive side, for sure, but I guess I didn’t know quite what to expect! Pictures below!

Sorry about the blurriness, it was a little dark and couldn’t get great pictures :(

The restaurant itself! Early afternoon

Hand Stuffed lobster ravioli:

Sea Bass w/ veggies:

Seafood Pasta (Cod, scallops, mussels, clams, shrimp in a spicy red sauce):

Newer Posts →