Cooking Today
Take control of the fat content in your meals
Monday, April 28, 2008
I slept through the earthquake, and I'm still disappointed.
Those who felt it talked about it in breathless tones. It was a thrill, a close encounter with the world that exists below the surface and beyond our perception. A reminder that we are just a small part of a greater reality — one we really don't have much control over.
Extras
It's like walking in the woods and locking eyes with a deer you hadn't seen a second ago. There's a brief connection between parallel realities, and you realize that you're just a visitor in this particular ecosystem.
It's like watching a dazzling springtime lightning storm. Each spine-tingling bolt reminds us that we are at mercy of the elements.
It's like puzzling, pondering and praying over a troubling situation, and suddenly feeling the answer rise up from your heart and into your head. Chemical synapses at work? Or did you just feel the presence of divine intervention?
A lot of us take comfort in the illusion of control, thinking we have the power to protect ourselves and our loved ones. But all it takes is one missed stop sign, one diagnosis or one angry, armed stranger to change our lives forever.
We're not in control. And that's not something to fear — it's something to embrace. There's relief in knowing the weight of the world is not on our shoulders.
We do our best — by ourselves, by our families, by our jobs and by our communities — knowing we can't control the outcome. We hold up our end to do good, and have faith that good will be done.
It doesn't always turn out the way we'd like. But at least we know we did all within our power.
It's within our power to control the fat content in what we eat. And when I saw Cook's Illustrated Light Recipes for Spring 2008, in the check-out lane at Dorothy Lane Market, I was powerless to pass it up.
Lighter Chicken Parmesan is oven baked to cut the fat to just 8 grams per serving. Toasted panko breadcrumbs are lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray to give the crispiness of deep-frying. And the flavor is so full and satisfying, I won't be frying my cutlets again anytime soon.
CHICKEN PARMESAN
Makes 6 servings
Tomato sauce:
1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
Salt and pepper to taste
Cutlets
1½ cups Panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ounce (½ cup) Parmesan cheese
½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
Salt and pepper
3 large egg whites
3 large, boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat and sliced into cutlets, or 6 chicken cutlets
3 ounces reduced-fat mozzarella, shredded
To make the sauce, cook garlic, tomato paste, oil and pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat until tomato paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato puree and cook until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.
To make the chicken, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 475 degrees. Combine bread crumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes. Spread bread crumbs in a shallow dish to cool, then stir in Parmesan.
In a second dish, combine flour, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. In a third dish, whisk together egg whites and 1 tablespoon water.
Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and place wire rack on top. Coat rack with nonstick cooking spray. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Lightly dredge cutlets in flour mixture, then dip into egg whites. Coat with bread crumbs, pressing the crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay chicken on wire rack.
Coat tops of chicken with nonstick cooking spray and bake until meat is no longer pink in center, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, spoon 2 tablespoons sauce and 2 tablespoons mozzarella onto each cutlet, and return to oven for five minutes. Serve, passing remaining sauce and Parmesan separately.
(Adapted from Cook's Illustrated Light Recipes, Spring 2008.)
Contact this writer at carol.rini@gmail.com.
