Sunday Dinner: Chicken Parmigiana (w/ Homemade Tomato Sauce) Edition

It's been another week of less is more (aka less is all I have time for) cooking at our apartment: leftover goulash, veggie and cheese fritatta, and roasted pear salad with a night of takeout Thai thrown in for good measure. I've been feeling kind of guilty about the lack of excitement in the kitchen so I decided to try something new and different for tonight: chicken parmigiana. My mom used to make this when I was in high school so I thought I would ask her for her recipe. Turns out her version is so easy it doesn't even require a recipe-- all you do is bread and brown up some chicken cutlets, place them on top of some spaghetti that has been doused in tomato sauce, top with more sauce and some shredded cheese and bake for 30 minutes. So simple that I decided to use the extra time to try my hand at homemade tomato sauce. A total success- I made a double batch and am planning to use some in shrimp creole later this week and then to freeze the rest for future use. Honestly, both the sauce and the chicken were so good that I'm already looking forward to tomorrow night's leftovers! (Thanks Mom.)

Chicken Parmigiana
From My Mom

Ingredients:
8 ounces of spaghetti
2-3 cups of tomato sauce
2-3 TBL olive oil
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 large egg
2 TBL water
4 chicken cutlets
4 ounces shredded mozzerella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat a 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and return spaghetti to pot. Add 1 cup or so of tomato sauce and stir until spaghetti is coated. Spread spaghetti and sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking sheet.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. In a shallow bowl/plate mix egg and water together to form an egg wash. Place flour in a second shallow bowl/plate and the bread crumbs in a third. Bread chicken cutlets by dredging them first in flour, then the egg wash, followed by the bread crumbs.
3. Brown chicken in oil, 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Place browned chicken on top of spaghetti.
4. Pour remaining tomato sauce over chicken. Top with shredded cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted and starting to brown. Serve!


Homemade Tomato Sauce
From Simply Recipes

Ingredients:
2 TBL olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot (or 1/2 large carrot), finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, including green tops, finely chopped
2 TBL chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
2 TBL chopped fresh basil
1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, including juice, or 1 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet or pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion, carrot, celery and parsley. Stir to coat. Reduce heat to low, cover pot/skillet and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft and cooked through.
2. Remove cover and add minced garlic. Increase the heat to medium high and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes. If using canned tomatoes, shred with your fingers (or use kitchen shears to break them up). Add tomato paste and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a low simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook (uncovered) until thickened, about 15 minutes. Use blender, food processor, etc. to give it a smooth consistency.