Fall doesn’t officially start until the end of September, but all the same, Labor Day weekend has completely caught me by surprise! Summer is my favorite season and I’m sad that it is winding down. It’s been a busy one as I recently started a new job. Cooking hasn’t slowed down though, and since this summer has been cooler than I’m used to, I haven’t minded turning on the stove and oven.
It’s been a productive summer in my kitchen, and there are so many things on my “mental note” list that I’d like to revisit on the blog sometime (making fruit preserves, check. Learning some traditional Korean dishes, check. Homemade ricotta cheese, check). The most recent development is that we’ve been eating less meat at home. Perhaps the greatest benefit of this is how wallet-friendly vegetarianism is. I’ve explored this a bit during my March grocery challenge. Following the grocery challenge I went back to spending about $100 a week on food, but for the past couple weeks we just started going mostly meatless, on a whim, really, and were surprised at how little we missed it. And now I’m back to spending $60-70 a week on my food bill.
I think it’s pretty easy to do this in the summer when veggies and fruits are so bountiful. I’m completely obsessed with tomatoes (Sungold! Heirloom! Vine ripened! I love them all) these days and thought it would be fitting to close out summer with a recipe starring tomatoes. This one does have meat–chicken–but it’s really all about the tomatoes.
Summer tomatoes, you’re so pretty
I had planned to make chicken parmesan for a Sunday dinner but realized I had all these great tomatoes in the fridge. So I decided to make some kind of cross between chicken milanese and parm. I breaded some chicken breasts I had in the freezer, fried them golden brown, and topped with fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, pea tendrils, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
A nameless creation, but very delicious
Oh, wanna see those tomatoes again?
Tomatoes!
This dinner, followed by a dessert of cherries, felt like quintessential summer to me. Minimal cooking, lots of fresh flavors. I’m already starting to feel nostalgic for summer, but I’m also looking forward to crisp autumn winds, changing leaves, and richer fall flavors.
Tomatoes with Chicken Cutlets
3 medium tomatoes
6 chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 lb)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pea tendrils or other leafy greens (i.e. arugula or baby spinach)
4 oz fresh mozzarella
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Slice tomatoes in 1/2 inch thick slices and set aside. Slice mozzarella in 1/4 inch thick slices and set aside.
Use mallet or bottom of a frying pan to flatten chicken cutlets to about 1/4 inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper. Set up a station lineup of flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. Coat each cutlet in that order, shaking off excess before moving to next ingredient.
Heat vegetable oil in saucepan. I am not too exact with temperatures, so I just test it by dropping a bit of excess flour/breadcrumb in the oil and seeing if it starts to bubble/sizzle. When it does, I put in the chicken. Fry until golden brown, flipping occasionally. Use a meat thermometer and check that it reaches at least 165 degrees internally. Drain on a dish lined with paper towels.
When the chicken has rested for a few minutes, top with tomato slices, mozzarella, and pea tendrils. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil (and fresh black pepper if desired).
Enjoy with a slice of crusty bread to soak up the vinegar/oil… or just on its own!
girl and fork 