Recipes by Zola - Grilled Chicken Parmesan (leaner and lively)

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Grilled Chicken Parmesan (leaner and lively)

Zola Gorgon

The Advantages of -- UP

My husband and I were taking an exercise walk in our Chicago neighborhood today. When we do that we just sort of "cruise" up and down blocks that surround our street. The blocks are tree-lined, offering shade from any heat. There's really no traffic noise so we can hear each other in conversation and there are plenty of things to look at. Dogs on a walk are always entertaining. Then there are activities like looking at new construction completions as well as checking out what's new in the neighborhood gardens.

Today my husband said something that took me by surprise. He said, "I sort of miss our yard in Madison". I almost tripped over my own sneakers! I asked why, and he told me he sort of missed grass. We had just passed a nicely manicured, yet small, lawn surrounded by gardens. You don't see a lot of expansive lawns in our area. Most of the lot is usually covered by house, and in the near-noon sunshine this lawn just glowed a bright green. It was beautiful.

I understood his pang, but I couldn't help but point out that he had a "yard". His is just five stories above ground and covered in pots of flowers. "Besides, I said, if you have a lawn, you have to mow it". This hits home with a man that hasn't held a lawnmower in his hands in over 20 years. My husband just doesn't "do mow".

So I decided to reflect on the benefits of a "yard" that's five stories up.

1.No bugs. We'll, we might see a hatch of gnats fly by once in a blue moon but there are no mosquitoes that fly up five stories. At our house in Wisconsin we aren't out of the house for more than 30 seconds before we are literally attacked by mosquitoes. It really ruins a good cocktail party and even the best of technology really can't compete against the kind of rain we get and the propensity to breed those little devils have. This has to be my #1 reason I love being UP.

2.The view. We have expansive views of the city center from our place. I can gaze for hours at the big buildings when they are surrounded by clear blue sky. I can gaze for hours at the twinkling lights of the evening and late night. I cannot get over that view. I'll admit it. I'm completely hooked. When guests first step out onto our roof decks they are speechless. Then they muster an "Oh wow", or "Honey, look!".

3.The view down. You can stand near the railing on one of our roof decks with your favorite beverage and gaze down at the throngs. There are people on the street all the time. The patios are set up in the summer so you can people watch to your heart's content. One of the funniest things to watch is the swarm of valet parking guys doing their job. It looks like car ballet. Another reason I love being UP.

4.The spotting scope. People love this tool of the city. No, we don't peek in windows! But people love to look through the scope and check out parties going on around the neighborhood on other roofs. It's quite entertaining to comment on what they are drinking, what they are eating or if they are playing some kind of game on the roof. It really has a big city feel. Later in the evening we focus on the moon or Jupiter. This time of year we can see 4 of Jupiter's moons. Not bad for the city.

5.The breeze. There's no shortage of passing air when you are out of the roof on the 5th floor. There's so MUCH breeze that you can't really have an umbrella up here. We tried it once. It was day two of our first and only attempt at having a patio umbrella on the 5th floor roof, when my husband found himself grabbing the umbrella as it started to sail off the roof! He almost had to let go before he managed to wrestle it to the deck. I shrieked when I heard the story because I imagined him doing an imitation of Mary Poppins, and I dare say I doubt he'd fly very far before the umbrella broke and he plummeted. That was too scary, but when it's warm on the pavement below it's amazingly comfortable on the roof. Remember that song lyric? ... "up on the roof"....?

The roof is the place to be. And it sure beats mowing.

Grilled Chicken Parmesan (leaner and lively)
Today's recipe is a really easy version of a summer, grilled chicken parmesan; only I changed it. Everyone talks about de-constructing recipes these days. Chicken parmesan is traditionally fried, then baked, smothered in tomato sauce and then coated in a thick layer or two of cheese. Nothing wrong with that. It's just in the summer, and for the sake of health, I thought I'd do a leaner version that tastes light in the summer. Chefs talks about de-constructing. In this case it's taken apart, lightened up and put back together. Enjoy! It's an easy grill item that's fit for a party. Or even a party of two.
Serves 2. Can be doubled or even tripled and even expanded for a big party.

Ingredients
2 chicken breast pieces (boneless and skinless) (option: You can also do this dish with veal)
Olive oil spray
Italian spice blend to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese
4 slices of big, ripe tomato
2 deli slices of mozzarella cheese (you can use low fat cheese if you prefer)
Preheat your grill to medium high.

Put your chicken breast piece (one at a time) in a large zip-lock bag. Don't close the bag. Use a meat mallet and pound the chicken breast until it's flat. 'Should end up about 1/3 - 1/2 " thick when you're done. Pounding it thin just makes it cook faster. Set this piece aside and keep doing this activity until you have pounded all of the chicken.

Spray each piece on both sides with olive oil. On the smooth side (top) sprinkle on Italian spice blend and grate a little salt and pepper. Now you are ready to grill.

Place the chicken, top down on your grill. Grill for 3 - 4 minutes; until you get some nice grill marks on that side of your chicken and then gently turn it over. Grill 2 minutes more or until you can slice a bit of chicken at the thickest point and you don't see pink anymore. This is a guess on the time because everyone's grill cooks differently and before you proceed to the next point you want to make sure your chicken is completely free of pink.

While the chicken is still on the grill, sprinkle on the Romano cheese, place the slices of tomato (just enough to cover the chicken) and then put on a slice of mozzarella. Grill just a minute more until the mozzarella is warm and begins to wilt.

Chicken is ready and you're ready to serve!

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola

Send email to Zola at zolacooks@gmail.com.

This news arrived on: 08/18/2008

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