The dog days of summer are upon us. This weekend was hot and humid on the North Fork but it was also ideal to be so close to the beach, where I spent most of my Saturday. The breeze coming from the Long Island Sound was much needed. After leaving the Sound beach, I picked up some farmstand vegetables and greens to combine with some of our own garden goodness. I created a classic dinner with a fresh twist for my husband, grandmother and cousin.
The stovetop and oven are not the appliances of choice on a steamy summer evening but for the sake of the dish that I wanted to make, I used both of them. My dinner consisted of chicken milanese accompanied by steamed squash and zucchini with lemon and butter splash, as well as homestyle macaroni and cheese with Italian sharp cheeses. I paired a Sterling Vineyard Chardonnay 2008 with the meal. It was refreshing yet had enough body for the chicken. My recipe for the chicken varied from the classic. I pretty much added what I felt was right and it turned out great.
I took thinly sliced chicken breasts, breaded with Italian bread crumbs and pan fried. I kept them warm in the oven at 200 degrees until I was ready to serve. Then I drizzled balsamic vinegar on each breast, added fresh arugula to each along my special toppings mixture, which consisted of: diced Ugly tomatoes, red onion, mozzerella, basil, sea salt, capers and extra virgin olive oil. It was a very crisp and flavorful chicken dish - bold with the balsamic, basil and onions in the ingredients.
A tasty way to use the kitchen if you can stand the heat!
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