Parmigiana Restored

Chicken Parm is a standard at  every pizzeria and sub shop.Surprisingly it was the height of elegance at restaurants back fifty years ago.It can still be elegant as well as comforting during these chilly nights.Best of all it can be made with any meat or vegetable.

Melissa Clark reclaimed this dish in her Good Appetite column in today's New York Times Food section.She delved into the dish's history which started in southern Italy sometime in the 18th Century Most  restaurants in Italy only serve the eggplant kind. The earliest recipe comes from an 1837 cookbook and it's not far from what is made today. There is fried eggplant covered with a tomato ragu and generously covered with Parmesan cheese.Other vegetables were also used, such as artichoke, fennel and zucchini. Meats were added much later on, thanks to Italian immigrants coming to America. Meatball, sausage and even shrimp were no being subbed in for the eggplant.Somewhere along the way the meats became breaded. According to the great chef, Lidia Bastianich the true Italian version has none of that . she had to learn how to make the dish from her first restaurant's chef who was Italian himself.

Making the perfect parmigiana is easy. There are a lot of steps and the prep and ingredients should be exact. The first step is breading. The coating should be crispy enough to hold up to the sauce which can sog the filling.The breading should be done in advance, as recommended by Lisa Bamonte whose family owns the great Brooklyn landmark Bamonte's Ristorante..It is a three step process of flouring , then dipping into an egg bath and them another  dip into bread crumbs.The tomato sauce is also crucial,it needs to be acidic ,You can use your frozen ones from your garden or a mix of paste and plum tomatoes.Cheese should be a mix of creamy mozzarella for sweetness and Parmesan for tang, however it should be real Parmesan bought from a salumeria,Personally I would just use only the Parmesan to make it as true  to the original recipe.The main ingredient can be varied.. There is a recipe for chicken veal and cauliflower, but if you want to try shrimp or artichoke, that's fine too. Ms. Clark also recommends a side of spaghetti or even garlic bread with it. It really depends how hungry you are. Garlic bread is great for sopping up the sauce however a small side of pasta can also do the trick.

A dish of Parmigiana is not only an elegant dish but also a homey one. Done right it is a perfect blend o f cheese,sauce veggies or meat.Make it the traditional way and enjoy this amazing blend of flavors and textures.