chiffonade – Simply Delicious: The Cookbook Project

18-3: Good Kitchen Knives

Jamie Martin Group 18: Basic Techniques, Section 4: Cooking School January 2, 2017September 30, 2020carved, chiffonade, chopped, cooking school, cored, deboned, diced, garnish, julienned, knives, minced, pared, peeled, scored, slashed, sliced, slit

It’s a new year, and it’s also been a long time since I’ve covered any of the Cooking School portion of the back of the Simply Delicious cookbook. One of the featured topics is 18-3: Good Kitchen Knives, essential tools for any cook. I’ve had a lot of terrible knives, and I’ve got a long way to go until I make jaws drop with my knife collection, but I’ve got a few that are not too shabby. 🔪

I’m going to try NOT to make this a “look at all my cool knives” kind-of-a-thing, because honestly, my collection isn’t all that Internet-impressive–I don’t have a ton of trendy Japanese pieces or massive cleavers, because I just don’t cook that way too often. Plus, I feel about knives like I feel about cars–give me a broken-in cheap old workhorse over a shiny speedster you’re afraid to scratch up any day of the week. 🚙

10-17: Lamb Chops with Mozzarella

Jamie Martin Group 10: Lamb & Veal, Section 2: Main Courses July 27, 2016July 6, 2020basil, black pepper, broiled, butter, cast-iron, cheese, chiffonade, dinner, easy, egg-free, fairly expensive, Feta, garlic, gluten-free, Greek, green olives, grilled, herbs and spices, lamb, lamb chops, lemons, Mediterranean, melted, Mozzarella, olive oil, pan-fried, pimento, restaurant-style, salt, scored, slit, untested

I definitely did NOT eat a lot of lamb or veal growing up, but cooking through these recipes has given me the opportunity to try out some different dishes these days. On a recent Costco trip we found lamb chops on sale, so I decided to use them for 10-17: Lamb Chops with Mozzarella.

This seems like a strange trend that Simply Delicious is perpetuating–7-2: Pork Chops with Tomatoes is essentially the same idea except with pork, Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and green beans. Take meat, stack a slice of cheese and random fridge/pantry items on it, call it a recipe. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

6-43: Cheesy Chicken Cutlets

Jamie Martin Group 06: Poultry & Game, Section 2: Main Courses June 25, 2016June 18, 2020basil, boneless, breasts, butter, canola oil, cheese, chicken, chiffonade, coated, dinner, dried herbs, easy, eggs, fried, fried chicken, gluten-free, grated, herbs and spices, iceberg lettuce, inexpensive, Italian seasoning, lettuce, lukewarm, lunch, marinated, melted, olive oil, oregano, pan-fried, Parmesan, radicchio, red wine vinegar, salads, salt, Silpat, skinless, tomatoes, untested, vegetables, white wine vinegar

Here’s yet another boneless/skinless chicken breast recipe born of the health-conscious 1980s. We ate a LOT of chicken breast when I was growing up, so I’m surprised my mom never busted 6-43: Cheesy Chicken Cutlets out for yet another version.

I’m sorry, but it’s ALWAYS seemed just a bit morbid to dip chicken in egg. I realize it’s often a big part of one of my favorite things (fried chicken), but it still always nags. I’ll leave it there–you do the math if you want to. 🐣