squeeze the day

I recently came across a recipe by Anna Francese Gass on The New York Times cooking webpage for Crispy Lemon Chicken Cutlets with Salmoriglio Sauce. What is Salmoriglio Sauce? It’s a dressing made with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, peperoncino and fresh parsley. You can dress or marinate poultry or fish with the sauce.


Some salmoriglio recipes use oregano, mint, dill or fennel fronds. The herb they chose is predicated on what they’re serving. While lemon juice is the preferred choice, some Sicilian or Calabrian variations may use vinegar, wine or tomato pulp in place of the lemon juice. 

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For this recipe you’ll need boneless, skinless chicken breasts, kosher salt, pepper, lemon, eggs, flat leaf Italian parsley, bread crumbs, all-purpose flour, finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, dried oregano, extra virgin olive oil and a garlic clove.

In a bowl for the sauce, you’ll whisk the zest of one lemon, the juice of two lemons and chopped parsley. While the cutlets are frying, olive oil is heated and minced garlic is cooked for one to two minutes until the oil is infused with the garlic; cool.

The cutlets are dipped in a mixture of eggs and lemon juice. The bread crumb coating for the chicken includes flour, cheese, oregano and lemon zest. The cutlets are breaded and shallow fried in olive oil until golden brown. When done, they’re seasoned with salt.

To serve, pour the garlic oil into the lemon and parsley mixture; whisk to combine. Generously drizzle the dressing over the chicken before serving. What a tasty meal! Instead of bread crumbs I used panko for crispier cutlets and I added a pinch of peperoncino for a bit of zest. The sauce wasn’t overpowered with lemon flavor, but was well balanced with the garlic oil and parsley. This was truly a restaurant worthy meal and so easy to prepare. It raises the bar on your weeknight meals.

Speaking of citrus, I have other recipes that feature lemons.

Lemon Risotto from “Bon Appétit Magazine,” May 2022. The liquids in this recipe include both white wine and lemon juice for acid. I even added grilled chicken to the final product for some protein.

Another recipe I love making is Fresh Lemon Pepper Turkey, a recipe by Shady Brook Farms. A boneless turkey breast is marinated in a mixture of lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil, ground ginger and red pepper flakes. Before grilling, a combination of lemon zest, minced garlic and black pepper are made into a rub for the turkey. This is another great recipe where the marinade infuses lots of flavor.

Have you had Buttery Lemon Pasta with Almond and Arugula from Melissa Clark? What a fast and scrumptious recipe! The pasta was light tasting with a refreshing sauce. You had the bite from the bitter arugula, hint of lemon tang from both the juice and zest and a bit of heat from the red-pepper flakes. So enjoyable; we had seconds. 

Lemon juice is always a welcome brightness to seafood, especially in Fennel-Crusted Ahi Tuna with Lemon Aioli Over Couscous. The dish was sublime. The fennel/coriander/black pepper coating gave the tuna a bit of heat. The lemon aioli countered the heat with some tang.

To add some sunshine to your day, you must try Lemon Squares a recipe from a family friend. Slightly tart, not too sweet and very refreshing for dessert. 

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Crispy Lemon Chicken Cutlets with Salmoriglio Sauce
By Anna Francese Gass
The New York Times/NYT Cooking
 
Yield: 4 to 6 Servigs
Time: 25 minutes
 
Ingredients
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4), halved and pounded ¼-inch thick
Kosher salt and pepper
3 large lemons
2eggs, beaten
½ cup very finely chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
1¼ cups bread crumbs
¼cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 teaspoons dried oregano
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for frying
1garlic clove, minced
 
PREPARATION

1. Pat chicken dry, then season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Zest 1 lemon, reserving the zest for the bread crumbs, then halve the lemon and squeeze all its juice into a medium bowl. Add the eggs to the juice and beat to combine. Add the seasoned chicken and turn to coat. Let rest while you make the sauce and bread crumb mixture.
3. Prepare the sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the zest and juice of the remaining 2 lemons; stir in ¼ cup of the parsley. Set aside.
4. Prepare the bread crumbs: In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, flour, cheese, oregano and the remaining parsley. Add the reserved lemon zest and, using a fork, press the zest into the bread crumb mixture to combine evenly.
5. Working one at a time, press each chicken breast into the bread crumb mixture, using your fingers to help thoroughly coat it on both sides; place on a sheet pan.
6. Heat about ⅓ cup of oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Working in batches, leaving 1 to 2 inches of space between, add 2 to 3 chicken pieces and cook until golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle immediately with salt. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding and heating more oil as needed.
7. While the first batch of chicken is frying, heat ⅓ cup olive oil in a small saucepan on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just long enough for the garlic to sizzle but not brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
8. Once all the chicken is plated, slowly pour the garlic oil into the lemon and parsley mixture and whisk to combine. Before serving, spoon the salmoriglio sauce liberally over the chicken.

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