Italia

Italy - Home of olive oil and pasta, wine and gelato, ruins and renaissance masterpieces. We could spend years going into the culinary offerings of the Italians (but that, my friends, is for another post ... or 50) The traditional Itailian dinner consists of the antipasto (appetizer), a pasta dish, a meat/fish dish, salad, cheese, and fruit and takes hours to eat as they relax and sip wine with each course. We've prepared a menu a little different considering we don't usually spend more than 30 minutes at the dinner table: Lemon Parmesan Chicken, Asparagus Parmesan, bread sticks, paired with a nice white grape juice (hey we don't drink so if you want a wine suggestion you'll have to consult someone else). For dessert: Gelato or Italian Lemon Creme Cake.

Lemon Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients
Chicken:
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 eggs
2 cups grated parmesan-romano cheese* (I use the pre-grated 3 Italian cheese mix)
2 1/2 cups Italian seasoned fine dry bread crumbs*
2 lemons, zested, then juiced
2 tbsp. olive oil
Pasta:
1 stick butter
1 16 oz. box penne pasta
1 tsp. salt
1 tbl. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
3 tbsp. fresh chopped basil
1 tbsp. thyme leaves
4 cloves garlic, chopped

Directions
Prepare three bowls large enough so you can bread chicken breasts. Add eggs and lemon juice to one of the bowls. Whisk. Add cheese and lemon zest to another bowl. Mix. Add bread crumbs to the last bowl. Take a chicken breast and dip it the egg mixture, cheese mixture then bread crumbs. Place on a plate. Preheat oven to 375. Heat nonstick skillet to medium heat. Add 1 tbsp. of the olive oil. Cook 3 chicken breasts at a time, adding the second tablespoon oil for the remaining 3. Brown on each side for 2 minutes, then place in baking pan. Bake chicken breasts for 30 minutes. Bring large pot of water to boil. Add remaining olive oil, pasta and salt. Boil for as long as on box. Drain. Add stick of butter and garlic; let butter melt. Add parsley, thyme and basil. Cover and set aside, if necessary, until chicken is done.

*I usually don't measure these ingredients and just pour them out as needed a paper plate to not waste them.

Asparagus Parmesan

Ingredients:
4 tbsp melted butter
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 lbs asparagus
1 cup grated Ramano cheese
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450d. wash each stalk of asparagus well and snap off the bottom part of the stalk. Steam upper tender shoots for 5 minutes, or until nearly done. test with a fork.

Pour butter and oil into a casserole dish and lay asparagus on top. Sprinkle with cheese and salt and pepper.

Bake uncovered for about 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve hot, sprinkled with lemon juice.

Bread stick (Olive Garden Style)
1 1/3 cups of water
4 tsp soft butter
4 cups of flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast


Combine the ingredients in mixer andl mixed throughly. Roll out bread stick shapes. Cover and let rise for 45 min. Brush butter on tops (saving some butter for later) and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Brush with butter again and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of garlic salt.

Gelato
Buy at your local gourmet grocery store.

Italian Lemon Creme Cake (from "mecookin"-Home Talk Entertainment Forums)
FOR THE CAKE:
1 18.25-ounce box Betty Crocker white cake mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites
I added 1 tsp. lemon zest to the cake.
FOR THE LEMON CREAM FILLING:
1 (8 ounce) pkg cream cheese, softened (could use mascarpone instead of cream cheese)
2 cups powdered sugar
4 teaspoon lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
FOR THE VANILLA CRUMB TOPPING:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cold butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE GARNISH:
powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch cake pan or springform pan
Make white cake following the directions on the box. Pour the batter into prepared pan.Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool completely when it comes out of the oven.
Make lemon cream filling by mixing cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in lemon juice.
Whip cream in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until it forms stiff peaks. Combine cream cheese mixture with whipped cream. Stir by hand until blended.
Make crumb topping by combining flour and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Add butter and dribble in the vanilla extract. Use your hands to mix cold butter into the flour and sugar. Break butter into smaller and smaller pieces as you incorporate it into the dry ingredients. Be sure not to press the mixture together. You want to end up with a very crumbly consistency with pieces no bigger than a pea. (If you have trouble making small crumbs, pop the bowl into your fridge for a few minutes.) Chill this crumb topping until you are ready to use it.
When the cake is cool, slice it in half through the middle and remove the top. Spread all but 1/2 cup of the lemon cream mixture onto the bottom half of the cake, then carefully replace the top half of the cake.
Spread the remaining 1/2 cup of cream filling over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the crumb topping on top of the cake and press it onto the sides all the way around the cake.
Now chill the cake for at least 3 hours before you serve it. When you are ready to dig in, slice the cake into 12 slices. Serve each slice topped with powdered sugar tapped through a strainer.
Servings: 12

 
Enjoy!