Swedish Chocolate What the....?

My good friend Stina was in Sweden visiting her dad, she uploaded this photo on FB and I couldn't resist not sharing.

Chocolate Anyone....?      I'm sure it's delicious.....

It's Parmarama night!!!

After a few requests for the recipe I thought it was time I shared with you my recipe for the good old Aussie Chicken Parmigiana.
While still in London, Jake and I wanted to thank our friends Stina and Tony for letting us crash at their place. So we decided to make them a good Aussie dinner to remind them of home.

Below is my step by step process to help you have a great 'Parmarama Night'

Shopping List


4 Chicken Breasts ( or 1 per person )
300gm Plain Flour
4 Eggs
1/4 cup Milk
500gm of Bread Crumbs (fine, course or panko)
Handful of your favorite herbs (fresh or dried) chopped
100gm dry Parmesan cheese (optional)
Canola or Vegetable oil
1 Bottle/ Jar Tomato Passata or your favorite pasta sauce
300gm Grated Tasty Cheese
300gn Grated Mozzarella Cheese
-----------------------------------------
Potatoes
Salad stuff


Here goes.........

1) Buy 1 chicken breast for every person you will be feeding
2) Place the chicken breast upside down on the chopping board
3) Place your non knife hand on top of the chicken breast to hold it firmly down on the board, bring the knife to the fattest side of the chicken breast
4) Gently cut through the middle of the chicken breast roughly 1cm til the other side ( Your knife should not come out the other side)

5) Now open up your Chicken breast from the cut and use your palm to flatten it
6) Place chicken breasts on some plastic cling film, then place another layer of cling film on top of the chicken breasts
7) Use a meat mallet, or pot ( or you could use a wine bottle) to bang down the chicken breasts to evenly flatten them out
8) Your breasts should be nice and flat like pic #8 now their ready for crumbing


YOUR CRUMBING STATION

You will need one tray of Flour, season this with salt and pepper. One bowl of egg wash, whisk up 2-3 eggs you can add a little milk to extend the mixture. One tray of bread crumbs, the store bought ones are fine, we used them here. Normally I would make my own bread crumbs using some stale bread. Panko bread crumbs are excellent to use. You can also flavour your crumbs with any herbs you like really. We used dried Rosemary, but I really like to use fresh chopped Thyme, use can also add grated parmesan cheese.

9) Place 1st chicken breast in the flour coating both sides, be sure to shake off the excess.
10) A handy tip for not getting sticky hands is to use one hand to handle the chicken in the dry ingredients and use your other hand for the egg wash part.
11) Next place that chicken breast in the egg wash and coat both sides, lift chicken breast and allow the extra egg to drip off
12) Lastly put the egg coated chicken into the bread crumbs

13) Be sure to fully coat the chicken, you can help by pressing the crumbs into the breast to make sure they stick
14) Once you have finished with the first chicken breast, place it onto a plate and repeat the process with the remaining breasts. You now have Schnitzels...the first step to your Parmas.

NOW FOR THE COOKING

1-2) Heat up some canola or vegetable oil in a pan (these 2 oils have a higher smoking point and so are ideal for shallow frying) Drop a crumb into the oil, if it bubbles and brown the oil is ready.
Gently place the Schnitzel into the oil, lowering it so it falls away from you so the hot oil doesn't splash back at you.
Fry for at least 3-4 mins, check how your schnitzel is going by lifting up an edge. Your looking for a lovely golden colour
3) Once you have the desired colour flip your Schnitzel over and cook other side to same desired colour
4) Take out your Schnitzels and place them in an oven proof tray.

5-6) Top Schnitzels with your favorite pasta sauce, plain tomato passata can also be used but wont give off  as much flavour, a home made Napoli sauce is ideal
7) Now top your Schnitzels with shredded cheese. I use 50% shredded tasty cheese and 50% shredded mozzarella cheese which I mix up in a bowl before topping. I think this is were a lot of people get this wrong. They either use all tasty cheese but then get not stretch in your cheese, or they use all mozzarella for stringy stretchy cheese but get not bite from the tasty cheese.
8) Be sure to top the cheese higher in the centre of the Schnitzel for when the cheese begins to melt as we cook them it will stay on the parma and not end up all over your oven tray.
Now place your Parmas in the oven for roughly 10 mins on 180-200 degrees,once the cheese is looking nicely melting place the tray under your grill to brown and crispen up the cheese, this step should only 1-2 mins

So here's how your Parmas should look when you bring them out from under the griller, and here are some yummy home made potato wedgies we made too.

And now time to eat...Buon Appetit

The Perfect Picnic Hamper Filler

Tell me you wouldn't be the coolest person at the next backyard BBQ or Picnic if you were packing one of these beauties....
Jamon and Emmental cheese ring baguette thingys!!

Attention Coles and Safeway, European supermarket Deli's are kicking your ass in the cool foods department.