Schnitzle

For years now a group of our friends have being going to the Hollywood Bowl to celebrate the Fourth of July.  We arrive early, picnic, and then head over to our seats.  It has all the elements of what I consider to be the perfect night: spending an entire evening outdoors, dining and listening to music surrounded by family and friends.  Among us there are two immigrants, one from Canada and one from England,  two first generation Americans, and the rest are “real” Americans.  We have never discussed how we feel about this particular holiday so I have no idea if the others find it as meaningful as I do.  I have always been very aware that my parents could have ended up anywhere in the world when they left France in 1952.  Fortunately they came to this country and made it their home and mine.

Happy Fourth of July!!

My mother’s version of fried chicken, a  traditional Fourth of July dish, was Schnitzle, pounded boneless chicken breasts, breaded and fried. What a great way to combine the old world with the new.

Schnitzle

1 lb. boneless chicken breast, pounded thin

1/2 cup flour

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup oil or more as needed

Place flour, beaten eggs, and seasoned bread crumbs in three separate shallow bowls. In assembly line order, dip each breast in flour, eggs,  and then seasoned bread crumbs.  Heat oil in frying pan (cast iron is best) till sizzling. Fry schnitzle till golden on each side.

Serves 4

Enjoy,

Irene

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Chicken Fajitas

Anytime I served my mother any kind of ethnic food, her standard response, in Yiddish, was, “we never ate this in Mogielnice.”   I was raised on a strict diet of Eastern European Jewish fare: good, solid, hearty meals.  My mother never made Pad Thai or tacos or stir fry, and just trying to conjure up an image of her standing in the kitchen with a wok makes me smile.  Truth be told, when she did try a new recipe that she was given by a friend or neighbor, my sister and I were typically unhappy about it.  We never wanted to experiment, not in my mother’s kitchen.

Somewhere along the way I discovered that I am drawn to exotic flavors, spices, and aromas more than to burgers, steaks, mac n’ cheese and kugels!  Going to Artesia for vegetarian Indian food is almost as good as reading a book that transports you to Bombay. It is an adventure that you can experience with little effort.  After having lived in Los Angeles for over thirty years, Mexican food is at the top of my list of favorite ethnic foods, simple but incredibly flavorful.  I love the beans, guacamole, salsas and the heat of chiles.

I tend to shy away from cooking ethnic dishes at home. They are often too labor intensive and I don’t usually have the time or the ingredients on hand.  Chicken fajitas are easy.  They are  fast and healthy and don’t require anything complicated in terms of preparation. Served with guacamole, salsa and warm corn tortillas, it’s perfect for a light summer meal and a nice break from roast chicken and potatoes.

Chicken Fajitas

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Marinade

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients for marinade, pour over chicken breasts and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Discard marinade.

2 red peppers or 1 red and 1 yellow, sliced

1 large onion, sliced

1 Tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in pan ( I prefer a cast iron pan) till hot.  Add onions and sliced peppers and cook over medium high heat until peppers start to caramelize.  Take chicken breasts and slice them into 3/4 inch strips.  Add to peppers and onions and saute, stirring constantly until chicken is cooked.  About ten minutes.  Serve with corn tortillas, salsa, and guacamole.

Serves 4

Enjoy,

Irene

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Garlic Chicken

My mother made garlic chicken every Friday night for as long as I can remember.  She used the same rub on turkey, duck and Cornish hens, the only variation being the bigger the bird, the more garlic.

Bake the chicken in a large enough pan to hold quartered potatoes and baste chicken and potatoes with drippings.

Garlic Chicken
1 whole roasting chicken
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbs oil
1 whole head garlic, peeled and minced

Combine spices in a bowl. Add minced garlic and oil to spices and blend together until you have a paste-like consistency. Rub the garlic mixture on the inside and outside of chicken. Let marinate in fridge overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place chicken in baking dish, breast down, with about 1/2″ of water on the bottom of the pan. Bake for 30 minutes and then baste with liquid. Add more water to pan if necessary. When chicken is golden brown, turn chicken breast side up. Baste every 20 minutes or so.  Total baking time is about 1 1/2 hours.

Enjoy,
Irene

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Oven-Fried Chicken Wings

My friend Fredda and I wrote this several years ago for a synagogue newsletter. We had decided to watch the Oscars together and serve this particular chicken. Well the Oscars are on Sunday so I thought it would be fun to revive the article and the recipe.

Project Chicken Soup is a wonderful organization.
To learn more about it visit www.projectchickensoup.org

2005 - When our children were very young and attending Jewish Day Schools, they were required to do community service. We all loved the idea, wanting to instill in them the value of “giving back”. Project Chicken Soup, an organization in L.A. that cooks and delivers hot meals to house-bound AIDS patients needed volunteers. Since our children were not old enough to drive themselves to the communal kitchen, going to Project Chicken Soup became a Sunday morning family activity. It allowed all of us to participate and gave us all a chance to cook! It was a labor of love.

A favorite family recipe came out of that experience.

Project Chicken Soup Chicken
Enough for one whole chicken cut in eighths or twenty wings.
l cup flour
1 cup cornflake crumbs
3 tbsp sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Run chicken under water and pat till almost dry. Dredge chicken in crumb mixture and shake off excess. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees till crisp and brown. If you choose to make the wings then this dip is a great accompaniment.
Pareve Ranch Dressing (non-dairy) Mix an envelope of Lipton Kosher Pareve Ranch Mix with one container of Tofutti Brand Sour Supreme (a pareve sour cream substitute). Stir well.

Enjoy,
Irene

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