To show my solidarity with the beleaguered flat-shoe wearing protestors against the tyranny of the high heel policy for the Cannes red carpet, I am making very flat food today. For two decades ‘tall’ food has been popular, mostly with male chefs. This annoying trend is dying, but occasionally it returns to haunt diners in even the finest restaurants. This is my second biggest restaurant pet peeve, following the ‘messy plate’ (plates presented with powdery stuff dusted all over the rims of the plates and with intentional fingerprints, ugh). These towering presentations are fun to see and they make dramatic entrances at the table. But when you attack them to eat, they fall onto your neighbor’s plate, or worse, onto the lap of their designer outfit. They are not eater-friendly, especially at posh events. So I say, let’s eat flat!
On visits to Italy, I’ve noted that supermarkets always have that universal French mainstay Chicken Cordon Bleu shrink-wrapped and ready to cook. Buyer beware. That’s a good dish when made of good ingredients at home. There are similar dishes in Italian cuisine, but nothing as pervasive, unless we talk about Tiramisu. Let’s not. So, for Ingrid Bergman and her daughter Isabella Rossellini, I set out to create something worthy of them. Something flattened. I think you’ll like it.
Heck, maybe next year I’ll do a pop-up restaurant in Cannes and this will be part of the menu.
You start with flattened escalopes of chicken breast. Then green olive tapenade (green olive purée with anchovy and garlic) is spread on one side and pancetta stuck onto it. Dipped in egg, it is then breaded with a mix of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and fried in a bit of oil. To go with it I suggest a simple ‘fresh’ tomato sauce flavored only with onion and cooked in butter. Yes, not olive oil. In northern Italy there is lots of butter in the cooking.
4 escalopes of chicken breast
green olive tapenade (about 1/2 cup; purée green olives with a clove of garlic if you can’t find it in a jar)
8 slices pancetta
I whole egg, beaten with salt, pepper and a tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried oregano
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons cooking oil
Between two sheets of plastic wrap, flatten the chicken escalopes evenly with a meat mallet or a small iron skillet. Spread them on one side with a thin layer of the tapenade and place two slices of pancetta on each. Tap gently with the weight. Place in the refrigerator while you make the sauce (recipe below).
On a plate, mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan and oregano with a bit of salt and pepper. Dredge the escalopes in the beaten egg, then place them on the crumb mixture, patting crumbs onto the top surface as well.
Heat the oil in a frying pan to medium. When it is hot, place the breaded escalopes into the pan, pancetta side down. Cook over medium heat about two minutes, until golden, then carefully turn over to cook the other side. Cook two at a time so they are not crowded. Drain on paper towels and keep in a low oven if necessary while you cook the rest.
Serve hot, with the sauce on the side.
For the sauce:
1 pound vine tomatoes
1 small shallot, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Wash the tomatoes and cut into small cubes. Put the shallots in a medium saucepan with the butter and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the shallots have softened. Stir in the tomatoes and cook over low heat, uncovered, until the tomatoes are very soft. You can mash them a bit with a tomato masher but keep the sauce a bit chunky and thick. Serve hot.