Sometimes the pros DON’T know best.  Ya just gotta make a recipe your own–and that is half the fun!

The Meal:  Chick Pea Pizza alla David Rocco, Mediterranean salad with chopped cucumber, tomato, hearts of romaine & lemon.

The Details: chick pea pizza, aka “la cecina”,  is allegedly a very common dish in Italy.  It is made from chick pea flour, a naturally gluten-free flour, olive oil, salt & pepper.

What Went Wrong + TIPS:

Tony and I watch one of Cooking Channel’s programs called La Dolce Vita with David Rocco and have really enjoyed the journey David and his wife Nina take us on. They always end up filming exciting narratives in the exact places or scenarios Tony and I yearn for (i.e. a remote seaside picnic, a relative’s apartment in Florence, a lakehouse barbeque). Without a doubt, the narrative is the strong suit of the program (along with the frisky soundtrack). David Rocco tells a great story, but when it comes to recipes, stick to the other guys.  Sorry, David -  we love ya and definitely wanna be friends .  Come to our house and we’ll show YOU some “La Cecina”

1. FALSE ADVERTISING: The recipe he shared on the TV program didn’t match the details found in the actual recipe on the website. Not really a big deal, unless you weren’t planning to look up the recipe online….which we weren’t.  I mean, how hard could it be? What he showed us on the tele was a piece of cake (well, pie).  We were curious about the portion size, so ended up looking at the recipe and learned a key STEP that was missing from the TV program.  The chick pea batter has to sit for nearly an hour before placed into the oven. We definitely weren’t expecting that.
2. FLAVORLESS: The recipe could use a little SEASONING LOVE.  Be sure to the follow the recipe and then toss in your favorite seasonings like rosemary or thyme. Whatever you like.  And definitely, a little more salt.
3. COOL DOWN: if you try to take the pizza out of the pan immediately (like we did), you are going to end up with flaky broken mess.  Let is rest for about 15 minutes or so.  It will regain some of it’s form and elasticity, making it easier to slide out of the pain and cut into the shape you like.

Sometimes glorious meals come from the scrap you have in the ‘fridge.  And that is what happened here.

The Meal: Chicken Cutlet, aka “Cotoletto” topped with fresh arugula and shaved parmigiano reggiano.

The Details: thinly sliced (or butterflied) chicken breast, pounded out as thin as you can get it (while still being chicken and not mush), dipped in flour, then egg, then panko bread  crumbs (for the crunch) and pan fried.  Top with a handful of fresh arugula and squeeze with lemon.  Shave slices of parmigiano reggiano for intense flavor by the bite.

The Verdict:

• 5 stars
• Don’t you feel like crap when somebody asks “What’s for Dinner?” and the immediate response in your mind is “Well, hell if I know!”.  I feel like that a lot. Tonight was one of the nights I looked in the fridge and thought….”Ok, what do I have in here that I can piece together?  And what ingredients do I NEED to use before they go bad?”.
• The chicken breasts I had bought for a meal that never happened were about to expire and the arugula looked like it had about 1-2 days of life left in it.  Soooo, chicken and arugula it was.  I also realized that I had just enough panko left for 2 cutlets.  I would make the sacrifice (though reluctantly) to have a cutlet dipped in regular breadcrumbs EEE—OR  Weber and Tony–that right there is L-O-V-E.
• Because we had nothing else in the house besides some rouge boxed “Pasta Sides” that have been in there for 2 years (they are shelf stable, right?), I decided I’d pound out the chicken extra extra thin, so it took up the full circumference of the plate and seemed like a huge portion.  We eat with our eyes, right?
• Weber and Tony didn’t even realize or complain that their wasn’t a starch with dinner and both were stuff, satisfied and happy gents.
• Would You Eat It Again?: Yes, in a heartbeat.  How about tomorrow?
• What Would You Change? Really try to have  a spare box of panko, because I’m tell you that stuff really takes it to a whole new level.  Also, having 3 frying pans that can fit a full cutlet would be awesome.  That way, in my house of three, each would be finished at the same time, instead of intermittently.

Ever eat something at a restaurant that was so damn good, you had to try to make it yourself the next day? I have.

The Meal: Buttermilk Chicken Tenders & Truluck’s Hot House Tomato Salad

The Details: chicken tenders marinated in seasoned buttermilk, breaded in panko bread crumbs and pan fried to crispy perfection.  Whole tomato (sliced in half) covered in buttermilk dill dressing, topped with thick-cut bacon and thinly sliced onion.

The Verdict:

• 5 stars
• All parties agree, it was delicious.  The copycat Truluck’s salad wasn’t exact, but damn close! We have a lifetime to perfect it. Because the chicken was thinly sliced tenders and dipped in panko, rather than regular breadcrumbs, they crisped up reeeaaal nice.
• Would You Eat It Again?:  Unanimous, hell yes.
• What Would You Change?:  When making chicken tenders, always make more.  For some reason, people chow down on them a lot faster, and in way bigger quantities.