Piccata di Pollo

8 chicken breast cutlets

2 shallots, chopped
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
3 lemons
1 tsp dried oregano
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup white wine
½ cup cappers, rinsed
Flour
Salt & Pepper to taste
Fresh oregano or parsley to garnish

The first step is to marinate the chicken with one lemon (squeezed), oregano, pepper. Let marinate for one hour.

Place flour in shallow baking dish. Dip chicken into flour to coat; shake off excess.
Repeat two times for better result.

In a big frying pan, add the olive oil and the butter. Brown the chicken in both sides, when you turn the chicken the first time add the shallots.

 Then add the white wine and capers and cook for 3 minutes. Combine the stock and squeeze the other lemon and salt. Finalize cooking for another minute. Serve with fresh oregano or parsley to garnish and sliced lemons.

Beer and onion focaccia

·      3 cups 0 Flour (in the USA this would be Bread flour), divided

·      1 cup beer

·      ¼ cup Olive oil

·      1 tablespoon Sugar

·      1 tablespoon Fine salt

·      ½ tablespoon Rock salt

·      1 cube Fresh yeast (or 1 Satchel of dry yeast)

·      1 sliced onion

·      Oregano, to taste

·      Pepper, to taste

1.     Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F.

2.     In a big bowl, dissolve the fresh yeast with the sugar.  Simply by moving it around with a fork and mixing a bit, the fresh yeast will turn to liquid.  If you're using dry yeast, it will dissolve in the beer... Add the beer water.

3.     Sift 1½ cups of flour into the bowl. Mix the beer into the flour with a strong wooden spoon. Add the salt and mix with the spoon for about 1-2 minutes.

4.     Add the other 1½ cups of flour and kneed the focaccia dough for about 3 minutes, mixing very well.  Add the dough into the bowl and add olive oil.  Using your hands, squeeze the olive oil into the dough for about a minute.  Simply mixing with your hands, do this for about one minute...there will be extra oil a the bottom of the bowl (this will be poured on top of the dough later).

5.     Make a ball with the dough, and put the dough in a pan with a sheet of baking paper.  Press the dough into the pan with your hands.  Then make dimples in the dough with your fingers.  Mix the onions with olive oil and oregano in a separate bowl, the spread the onions on top of the focaccia.

6.     Let the focaccia rise for approximately two hours.

7.     Bake at 350F/180C for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Whole grain Parmiggiano focaccia

·      3 cups whole wheat flour 

·      1 cup Warm water

·      ¼ cup Olive oil

·      1 tablespoon Sugar

·      1 tablespoon Fine salt

·      ½ tablespoon Rock salt

·      1 cube Fresh yeast (or 1 Satchel of dry yeast)

·      1/3 cup parmiggiano

·      Oregano, to taste

·      Pepper, to taste

1.     Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F.

2.     In a big bowl, dissolve the fresh yeast with the sugar.  Simply by moving it around with a fork and mixing a bit, the fresh yeast will turn to liquid.  If you're using dry yeast, it will dissolve in the water... Add the warm water.

3.     Sift 1½ cups of flour into the bowl. Mix the water into the flour with a strong wooden spoon. Add the salt and mix with the spoon for about 1-2 minutes.

4.     Add the other 1½ cups of flour and kneed the focaccia dough for about 3 minutes, mixing very well.  Add the dough into the bowl and add olive oil.  Using your hands, squeeze the olive oil into the dough for about a minute.  Simply mixing with your hands, do this for about one minute...there will be extra oil a the bottom of the bowl (this will be poured on top of the dough later).

5.     Make a ball with the dough, and put the dough in a pan with a sheet of baking paper.  Press the dough into the pan with your hands.  Then make dimples in the dough with your fingers.  Add the rest of the olive oil on the top of dough, the oil will pool and fill the small holes.  Sprinkle the dough with Parmiggiano and oregano.

6.     Let the focaccia rise for approximately two hours.

7.     Bake at 350F/180C for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.