Tonight I made one of my personal favorites from the Northeast with Martha’s Chicken Parmigiana from page 108.
Growing up in Brooklyn I was a “latchkey kid.” My mother worked and went to school and I was on my own quite a bit. This forced me to learn how to cook on my own when I was very young. By the time I was 10 I had two specialties, macaroni and cheese and chicken parmigiana. I enjoyed making chicken parmigiana so much that I kept making it well into adulthood. After I got married, my husband got sick and tired of me cooking up my favorite dish so often and complained that I wasn’t a versatile cook. I started watching cooking shows, especially Emeril Lagasse and before long I became quite the gourmet. Eventually I even studied at the famous French Culinary Institute in Soho, NY. Somewhere in the midst of all of this chicken parmigiana fell off the radar for me. Maybe it reminded me too much of when I was young and very limited as a cook.
Martha’s recipe was very similar to the one I used to make. Chicken parmigiana is straight-forward and so easy even a child can make it! But it’s a very satisfying and comforting dish with the tender breaded chicken, melted mozzarella cheese and tangy marinara sauce.
It was a nostalgic pleasure for me to make one of my old-time favorites again. I have a feeling I’ll be making it again in the near future now that Martha’s recipe reminded me of how much love it!
