Grilled Chicken Parmesan with Smoked Mozzarella

For the record, Uncle T does not recognize a "grilling season".  The only thing that will keep me from the grill is a thunderstorm.  Aside from that, if I want to cook something on the grill or in the smoker it will happen.  However, once the weather turns nice in the Spring the frequency of my outdoor cooking does increase.  Hey, better to heat the outside than the inside.

I've done a smoked Chicken Parmesan before where I did fry the chicken then assembled the chicken, sauce, and cheese before putting it in the smoker.  That recipe can be found HERE.

I decided to do everything but the pasta on the grill this time.  It helps that I had marinara sauce leftover in the fridge.  The only cooking that was done inside was boiling the noodles.  The smoked mozzarella cheese was a block that I'd cold smoked this past Fall and has been vacuum sealed in the garage refrigerator since.  The dish was topped with chiffonade basil from my herb garden.

Grilled Chicken Parmesan

1 boneless skinless chicken breast per person
marinara sauce
shredded smoked mozzarella cheese
grated Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
Italian seasoning
olive oil
fresh basil

Pound the chicken breasts until they are a uniform thickness.  Lay them on a tray and season with the salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Place the chicken on a med-hot grill and cook until an IT of 165F is reached.  Turn partway through so you have nice grill marks.  Remove the chicken from the grill and place in a rimmed pan.  Top with marinara sauce then cover with shredded smoked mozzarella cheese.  Place the pan in the grill and close the lid and leave until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted.

When the chicken is turned and almost done, get the water for your pasta boiling.  Cook according to package directions.  Yes, Uncle T uses dried pasta sometimes.  Once the pasta is cooked to your satisfaction drain it well.

Place portions of the pasta on the plates and top with a chicken breast.  Divide the marinara sauce that ran off the chicken between each plate by pouring it over the pasta.  Top with grated Parmesan cheese.  Chiffonade some fresh basil and sprinkle over the chicken.  I added the grated Parmesan after the picture because I thought it looked better plus I had some mixed into my marinara sauce.

Grilled Chicken Parmesan over thin Spaghetti

This is a tasty and filling supper by itself though some fresh crusty bread would go wonderfully with it.  Though we normally drink Cabernet Sauvignon this was accompanied by a surprisingly nice Syrah we found at Wal-Mart of all places.  As usual, drink what you like rather than what "they" say you're supposed to drink with a dish.

While my marinara sauce was made using tomatoes canned out of last years garden by the good wife and good quality jar sauce will work.  Smoked mozzarella can be found at several stores like Trader Joe's and Wegman's plus others I found online.  I do my own because we like a bit more pronounced smoke flavor with ours.

I didn't time it but I think this was done in about 30 minutes including the time to pound out the chicken breasts.  So it's an excellent relatively quick meal for anytime.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Uncle T

Smoked Chicken Parmesan

When I started thinking about this, I did a Google search to see if it was a thing.  All I found were recipes for chicken breasts stuffed with the other parts or for chicken parmesan fatties.  For those that may not be familiar with a fatty I'll explain it.  A fatty is made with sausage or ground beef laid out flat with other things laid down the middle then the sausage/ground beef is rolled into a log shape that is stuffed.  Many people will cover the fatty with a bacon weave before smoking it.  The closest I found to mine was a Rachel Ray recipe but she grilled the chicken rather than smoking it and used smoked Mozzarella.  She also called hers grilled chicken parmesan.  So it seems I'm safe saying this is my own thing.  Since there is just the two of us, I made three so I'd have one to to take to work for lunch.  I wrote the recipe for four.

A nice thin blue smoke, just what you want

I do have to say I don't know the temperature used to smoke the chicken since I did it on my Weber Performer and my remote thermometer probes are in the smoker.  I did use one of my baby dial thermometers to check the internal temperatures of the chicken breasts.  Yep, none of those new fangled digitals for me.

Chicken breast flipped for more even smoke

While I have a variety of woods available for smoking, I used pecan wood for this as it was what was most ready to hand.  Hickory would work well for this as would apple and cherry.  You'll want a wood with a good flavor and good smoke without being overbearing.


Smoked Chicken Parmesan


4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 quart canned tomatoes
1 medium white onion
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 Tbs olive oil
Grated Parmesan cheese
Grated Mozzarella cheese
salt
pepper
garlic powder
Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper


Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder and let rest while the charcoal is getting to the proper stage to start cooking.  This means the charcoal is covered all over in a fine grey ash.  Put the chicken on the grill/smoker and add your choice of wood to the coals.  If using a grill, set it up for indirect cooking.  If you have a gas grill, put wood chips in aluminum foil and poke a few hole in it and place it over the burner that is lit.  Smoke until the internal temperature is 165F.  Once the chicken is at temperature take it off to complete the dish.

Chicken with tomato sauce ready for the cheese

While the chicken is smoking make the sauce to go on top.  Cut the onion in half from top to bottom.  Then make 3 cuts equally spaced around the side taking care to leave space at the root end to hold it together.  Then start slicing at the top end working to the root making 1/4 inch slices.  Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent.  Once the onions are translucent, add the tomatoes and roughly break them up with a spoon.  Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper to taste and stir.  Let the mixture simmer in the skillet until ready to use.  Add the juice from the tomatoes if the sauce needs to be looser.

Parmesan and Mozzarella added ready for the smoker

Use a pan that the chicken breasts will fit in fairly snuggly and you won't mind putting on the grill/smoker.  Spoon a bit of the sauce on the bottom of the pan then put the chicken in.  Spoon the sauce over the chicken breasts equally.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese then Mozzarella cheese over the chicken breasts.  Put the pan on the grill/smoker adding additional wood if necessary and smoke until the cheese is melted and has taken on as much smoke as you want.

The cheese is melted and it has picked up some smoke

Chicken Parmesan seems to mostly be served with spaghetti but you can use any pasta or other side you want.  I made a warm orzo side that also does well as a cold orzo salad.  It has orzo, a couple chopped canned tomatoes, about 2 Tbs finely minced onions, salt, white pepper, and olive oil.

The final product, a fine tasty meal

I also drizzled a bit of brandy over the chicken breast when they were seasoned just to add another layer of flavor.  You could also add some red wine to the sauce to boost the flavor but I didn't do that this time.


This dish has the advantage of easy clean up since you're only using the skillet inside and one pan outside.  This is an easy meal to throw together and yields great flavor.  The good wife said I could do this one again.  I can also attest that any leftovers are very good the next day as lunch at work or to have for another supper.


Give this a try, especially if you are wanting to try something different with your grill/smoker.

Tomato Pie

I wrote about tomato pie early on but since I have better pictures and tomato pie is so good I figured it should have a post all its own.

A nice slice of Tomato Pie

I made the first one of the season a week ago.  It dawned on me during my early morning ride into work that tomato pie was something we'd not had yet this year.  It's amazing what you think about early in the morning while riding a motorcycle.  Luckily, I had some pie dough in the freezer from a previous pastry dish.

Tomato pie is something that is good served hot or cold.  It can also be served by itself as a light lunch.  You can't beat a good tomato pie.  So, without further ado, into the recipe.

Tomato Pie

3 - 4 ripe tomatoes
6 - 8 slices bacon
1 medium onion, diced
9 inch pie crust
2 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Mayonnaise
salt
pepper
Basil

Slice tomatoes 1/4 inch thick.   Spread on a rack in a single layer and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Allow to drain the juices for at least 20 minutes, longer is acceptable.

Salted tomatoes draining on a rack.

Slice bacon into 1/4 inch pieces and fry until crispy.  Once done transfer to a paper towel to drain.

For the topping, put the 2 cups of Mozzarella and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese in a bowl.  Add pepper to taste.  Add mayonnaise until you have a slightly spreadable mix.

Blind bake the pie crust at 450F for 15 minutes.  Once the crust is lightly browned you are ready to assemble the pie.

To assemble the pie, spread 1/2 cup of shredded Mozzarella in the bottom of the crust.  Spread a layer of tomatoes, overlapping to cover the entire bottom of the pie.  Sprinkle half the bacon and half the onion on top of the tomatoes.  Add some Basil evenly over the layer.  Repeat with the next layers.  Add the topping in an even layer then bake at 450F for 15 - 20 minutes or until the topping is browned to your satisfaction.

Tomato Pie fresh from the oven

If you don't have fresh Basil, a good option is to sprinkle Italian seasoning on the pie in its place.  Heck, use whatever herbs you think would suit your fancy.

Tomato Pie with green tomato relish chicken and smashed roasted potatoes

 Tomato pie is well worth the time it takes to make it.  Make it and amaze your friends.  If you like tomatoes I'm certain you'll love tomato pie.  It goes with any meal or it can be a like meal in itself.

Let me know how you like it.

Uncle T

Grilled Octopus and Asparagus

The same day we got the squid mentioned here, 1 May post, we also got an octopus.  It's been a bit since we've done octopus so given the price it was too hard to resist.  The last octopus I finished in the skillet so I decided this one would be finished on the grill

I know, octopus has an ick factor for a lot of people in the US.  The  trouble is two-fold, octopus is not in the usual realm of seafood and too many Americans are just too squeamish when it comes to anything other than beef, pork, or chicken.

1.5 lb Octopus waiting for the water to boil

Part of the problem is that octopus done wrong is incredibly chewy.  I mean like chewing a rubber band chewy.  The same problems afflict squid.  I don't mind though, that means more squid and octopus for us at better prices.  I prefer an octopus in the 1.5 lb to 2 lb range for a meal for the good wife and me.


The octopus just needs to be simmered for a bit to tenderize it prior to finishing it in the manner you prefer.  This is also a good time to add some flavor to the octopus.  To do this you just add some aromatics to the pot as you bring the liquid up to a boil.  I use water for this though I know some folks use wine or a wine and water mix.  It's up to you.  The aromatics I use generally vary by what I have on hand at the time.  That means the recipe can be changed to suit what you have available.


Grilled Octopus


1 octopus for every two people
2 sweet peppers, cut in half
3 large cloves garlic, slightly crushed
1 Tbs salt
1.5 Tbs black peppercorns
1.5 Tbs juniper berries
2 cinnamon sticks
1 medium onion, quartered
water
olive oil


The octopus should come already cleaned unless you are buying at the dock.  Remove the beak if it hasn't been done.  Put enough water in a large pot to just cover the octopus.  Add all the other ingredients except for the olive oil and bring to a boil.  Once it has come to a boil, dip the octopus tentacles in the boiling water three times.  Keep the tentacles in the water for a few seconds each time you dip it.  This will ensure the tentacles curl up nicely.  After the third dip, if the tentacles are curled to your satisfaction, put the whole octopus in the boiling water.  Cover and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer the octopus until a sharp knife can penetrate the octopus fairly easily.  This is usually 60 - 90 minutes.  Once the octopus is to this point, remove it from the pot and set on a plate.  After the octopus is on the plate it's time to fire up the grill.  Get the grill good and hot.  Once the grill is hot, drizzle some olive oil on the octopus and place it on the grill.  Grill on one side for 5 - 10 minutes then turn the octopus over.  Grill for another 5 - 10 minutes.  Remove the octopus from the grill and cut in half.  Serve and enjoy.

Just off the grill

The wide range in grill time is so you can do it to suit your tastes.  The longer it is on the grill the more crispy bits there will be to add another bit of texture.


We had an asparagus dish to accompany the octopus.  I came up with this after having asparagus wrapped in prosciutto.  While I like prosciutto, it was not always readily available in some of the locations the Army had me stationed.  Enter the bacon.  Yes, I know the two are nothing alike.  Remember, I'm from small town South so bacon or bacon grease is in lots of different foods.  This is one of our favorite ways to eat asparagus though we don't do it all the time.  It is a great dish though.  I typically call it Transcendent Asparagus it is so good.


Transcendent Asparagus


1 lb asparagus
1 lb bacon
shredded mozzarella cheese


Prepare the asparagus by cutting off the tough bottom part.  Depending on the size of your asparagus divide it into bundles of 2 - 3 spears.  Wrap each bundle in bacon, using either a half slice or a whole slice.  Place the completed bundle in a baking pan and continue until all the bundles are wrapped.  Sprinkle a heavy layer of the shredded mozzarella on top of the bacon.  Put into a 400F oven for 20 minutes.  You can go shorter or longer depending on how dark you want the cheese to get.  Serve and enjoy.  3 or 4 bundles make a good side dish and this can serve 4 at that rate. 

All wrapped up and ready for cheese

A word of warning, if  you use whole slices of bacon you'll end up with quite a bit of bacon grease in the pan.  If you don't want to mess with the bacon grease in the pan you could partially cook the bacon prior to wrapping around the asparagus.  Using a half slice will yield less bacon grease but still be enough to cook the flavor into the asparagus.

Bacon wrapped Asparagus with Mozzarella Cheese ready for the oven

See, we match the unusual menu choices with things that are familiar.  This is the way most likely to get someone to try something different.  We had leftover sprouted rice and quinoa also which was a nice combo with the octopus and asparagus.  Roasted potatoes also go well with this meal instead of the grains if you prefer.

A fine supper

Give one or both of these a try.  I think you'll like them.  If you try them let me know what you think.


Uncle T