Thursday, February 01, 2007

la verdad de la milanesa

breaded chicken or milanesa de pollo with panko and dried potato flakes

Ever since I´ve started blogging, I noticed I was more aware of the food I was cooking and wanted to try new things all the time. Somehow, the stuff I considered normal or everyday food didn´t cut it, it had to be something quite new and, if possible, adventurous.
Thing is, even though I love that aspect of blogging because it even made me revisit beets (more on that later), I still find much joy in what to me is comfort food at its best.
It´s those timeless classics that taste of childhood and just feel right every single time.
In Argentina, what we call "milanesa" would be at the top of the list of classics. Basically, it´s breaded meat, be it veal, the classic, vegetables or chicken.
La "milanesa a la napolitana" is THE classic, especially with French fries as a side dish.
Milanesas are sold in sandwhiches at our typical "kioskos", which is like a candy store-grocery store type of place found at pretty much every single street in Buenos Aires.
Yesterday, I was yet again struggling to meet a deadline at work and my stress level was quite high (for me at least, I´m usually quite calm about life and all that comes along with it, but sometimes it does get on my nerves). I recalled I had a nice piece of chicken in the fridge and that I had been meaning to repeat a bit of an invention I had done with the typical milanesa a few weeks ago.
Instead of using the typical breadcrumbs, I used my newly-discovered and much-loved panko and dried potato flakes (the stuff you use to make instant mashed potatoes). I got the idea of using the potato flakes from the Surreal Gourmet, but I figured using panko as well would be an interesting mix. Besides, here in Argentina, panko is only found at Asian markets and quite expensive, so mixing it up with the potato flakes also made sense for a stingy girl like myself lol
Ok,so, back to the "recipe", for the egg mix, I went along the Asian route again and added ground ginger, curry, red pepper flakes and rosemary (ok, that last bit was Italian... well, you know, I´m doing "fusion cooking" hahaha). I added a bit of milk to the eggs as usual (though some people advice using a bit of soda water as well, and I have to say, that also gives a nice crust). I did the egg mix-crumbs step twice to end up with a nice thick crust.
What is lovely about this crust, besides the crunchiness, is that it helps keep the moisture in the meat, so you get a terrific contrast of textures. I cooked my milanesas in a skillet with a bit of the curry-ginger oil I did a while back.
So there you have it, more of a tip or an idea than a recipe this time, but trust me on this one and try it out, your stomach will thank you!

breaded chicken or milanesa de pollo with panko and dried potato flakes

4 comments:

Rachael said...

Funny - I was browsing blogs and came across your's. Just tonight I posted on my own blog about a recipe for frying fish that replaces breadrumbs with panko and crushed walnuts!

This looks yummy... I love Panko - it makes such a crispy crust

Brin said...

Wow! I have spent the last... oh... 37 minutes absolutely riveted. Your food looks fantastic, and your life looks delicious! I applaud you for being brave and adventurous and taking on something... something so COOL! Props to you!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I'm honored you would take the time to read me! Please know that you're welcome back anytime, and I look forward to visiting with you in the days to come.

In the meantime, I'll be checking back! Have a fun and safe (and yummy!) weekend.

Brin
www.messythrillinglife.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I like food as well. Maybe someday you can cook for me. :)
All the best in your work.

Marce said...

rachael- interesting, a nutty crust could also work quite well and add a different layer of flavor.

brin- Thanks! glad you are enjoying the site. I´ve been cooking quite a bit this week, so I should have some more recipes up soon. Hope you have fun in your trip with your friends.

SC- thanks!