Charlotte Di Mele Alla Milanese Recipes

PORK MILANESE

Steps:

• Season the pork chops all over with salt and pepper. Pulse the bread in a food processor to make coarse crumbs (you should have about 3 cups). Transfer the breadcrumbs to a shallow baking dish and toss with the cheese, parsley and rosemary. Whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl. Put the flour in another shallow bowl. Dredge each chop in the flour, then dip in the beaten eggs and coat in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing so the coating sticks.
• Heat 1/4 inch olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, cook the pork chops until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• Toss the arugula and tomatoes in a bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Divide the pork chops among plates and season with salt. Serve with the arugula salad and lemon wedges.

SESAME PORK MILANESE

Steps:

• Pound the pork chops with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until about 1/4 inch thick; season with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow baking dish. Whisk the eggs, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a second dish. Put the panko in a third dish. Working with 1 chop at a time, coat in the flour and then dip in the egg, shaking off any excess; firmly press both sides in the panko.
• Heat about 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot (a breadcrumb should instantly sizzle in the oil). Working in batches, fry the chops, turning once, until browned and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; season with salt. (Add more oil to the skillet between batches if needed to maintain a thin layer.)
• While the chops cook, whisk the vinegar, miso, 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil in a large bowl until smooth. Add the greens, carrots and tomatoes and toss; season with salt and pepper. Serve with the pork chops.

RISOTTO MILANESE

Steps:

• Coat a large saucepan generously with olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and salt and sweat them until translucent, about 5 minutes. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, letting the rice slightly stick to the bottom of the pan and scraping it off. It should also sound crackly.
• Add the saffron to the hot chicken stock; the stock should turn bright yellow.
• Add the wine to the pan until it covers the surface of the rice. Season with salt and cook over a medium-high heat, stirring continuously until the wine has absorbed into the rice. Add the saffron chicken stock to the pan until it covers the rice. Cook over a medium-high heat, stirring continuously until the stock has absorbed into the rice.
• Repeat this process two more times with the hot saffron chicken stock. When the third addition of the stock has absorbed and the rice is very creamy, bite a couple grains of rice to be sure it is cooked perfectly. If it is still a little crunchy, add a little more stock and cook the rice for another couple of minutes. When the rice is cooked perfectly, remove it from the heat.
• Toss in the butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano and "whip the heck out of it." The rice should be creamy but still flow and hold its own shape.

APPLE CHARLOTTE ALLA MILANESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place apples, 1/2 cup sugar, lemon zest and wine in a heavy saucepan.
• Pour in water to cover completely.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered 15 minutes.
• Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with water.
• Let soak 10 minutes, then drain and reserve.
• In a small bowl, cream together butter and remaining sugar until well combined.
• Coat the bottom and sides of a 2-quart baking dish with this butter mixture.
• Line bottom and sides of the baking dish with bread slices, overlapping slightly.
• Drain the apples and combine them with the drained raisins.
• Spoon the fruit mixture into the lined dish.
• Cover the top with the remaining bread.
• Sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven 1 hour.
• To serve (warm or cold), pour rum over the warm charlotte and light it with a long match or kitchen torch.

CHICKEN MILANESE

Steps:

• Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and gently pound the chicken out to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle the chicken with salt.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat to 360 degrees F.
• Season the flour with salt in a small bowl. Combine the panko and Parmesan in a small bowl. Begin breading the chicken by dredging it in the flour, then the beaten eggs, then the panko mixture, shaking off any excess in between. Let sit at room temperature for up to 30 minutes.
• Add the oil to the hot skillet, followed by 2 pieces of chicken. Cook until golden brown and crisp on both sides and the chicken is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a wire rack and season it lightly with salt. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adding more oil to the pan as necessary.
• Serve with a lemon wedge on top of each piece of chicken.