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Johnny Cordon Bleu

Johnny Cordon Bleu

Johnny Meatballs DeCarlo (February 27, 2012)

A Meaty Indulgence

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I think it’s pretty obvious my favorite food to eat and cook is Italian-American but we once again changed it up from the Sunday Gravy last week for this French-inspired American classic—Chicken Cordon Bleu. We prepared it with a nice cream sauce and it was succulent and scrumptious.

(For the record, Monday was meatballs & macaroni night.)

 

It’s an easy recipe to whip up, and here’s how it’s done. For the sauce: In a pot, brown finely diced pieces of mushrooms in butter, add in a minced onion and allow it to soften. Slowly stir in some cream and whisk in a bit of flour to thicken. Sprinkle in salt and pepper, a little dry white wine and a dash of Worcestershire. You can also spoon in a bit of Dijon mustard if you desire. After the sauce cooks for twenty minutes, ladle it into a casserole pan.

 

For the chicken…

Butterfly a thick chicken breast and fill it with 2 slices of ham and 2 slices of Swiss cheese. You can use any kind of meat or cheese here but we opted for the classics. I definitely recommend using imported Swiss (or Gruyere is even better) as they have a much better bite than the domestic version. The next step is to dredge the chicken in flour, egg and panko breadcrumbs. Another good idea if you don’t have panko on hand is to crumble up some crackers which makes a crispy and unique breading.

 

Drizzle some olive oil into a skillet along with some butter. Something I learned is that when you are combining oil and butter, always use butter that is at room temp as opposed to right out of the fridge as it melts more evenly that way. Once the pan is hot, cook the chicken for about four minutes per side and then transfer them into the casserole pan on top of the cream sauce. Ladle some more cream sauce on top and place in the oven for about twenty minutes or so. We served these with spinach and roasted potatoes for a balanced and delicious plate.


During Lent, I was always taught as a kid to “give something up” in honor of the sacrifice Jesus made for us—which I always did. Then, I was told that doing something nice for a neighbor in need during the season and being extra kind to your friends and family was equally as important. I remember during the Lenten season when I was in eighth grade I took out the garbage for an old lady down the block twice a week.

 

There’s a lot of “rules” in the Roman-Catholic faith that evolve and change. It was always a “sin” to eat meat on Ash Wednesday and on Fridays until Easter but not anymore. You were actually only supposed to eat fish but then the Pope loosened that. I try my best to be nice to everyone and follow the Golden Rule—not just now but all the time.

 

I don’t give something up but I guess in a way I do, because I do abstain from meat on Fridays. For me, that is a real sacrifice because I am the ultimate carnivore. The day after I always feel so hungry and crave meat. So I guess that’s why the past two weekends we indulged in the way we did!

 

I would like to use this time to thank my friend Lynda who sent me a beautiful cross and chain yesterday. Her company, Regali Gifts sells jewelry, clothes and lots of Italian novelties. It was the perfect timing as I plan to wear it all Lent with pride. 

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This looks so delicious ,Enjoy!!!!