Jarrod's Chicken Parma

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hi, phatch ~ that sounds like a good way to go with it as well, and i am sure it could easily be adapted to the recipe above, if anyone wants go go that way. i might try it then next time i make this. i can say that this way, the toasty-golden cheese and the baked-in sauce sure is good. doing it as you describe would, i am sure, highlight other features, such as the crispiness of the coating, and give it a whole new dimension.

hi, koukouvagia -

both of your preparations (for guests and for home) sound delicious! i do not really have access to veal, unfortunately, because there are so many good recipes out there featuring veal. one of these days..... 

no worries about the lack of appeal ~ everyone has different tastes and preferences, although i suspect that your preferences could probably be adapted for this as well (see phatch's comments for an example). regarding the canadian bacon versus proscuitto, i did have proscuitto available, but made a spur-of-the-moment decision in order to get the canadian bacon out of the fridge, where it was just taking up space. I understand your comment vis a vis "tasty cheese" and "mixed herbs." my friend so shared it with me is australian, so i figured it was simply a semantic thing, but i interpreted his terms to refer to a shredded blend of italian cheeses and a mix of common italian herbs.

i appreciate the comments and the description of how you prepare this dish, as well as the food for thought!

ron

hi, margi - thnks for the kind words ~ it was certainly a good one!

g'morning, ed - thanks for trying this, and i am glad you liked it. you've definitely got the right idea about how things are in the middle of nowhere. it's not quite that desperate, but it is close - and it seems spot on when i am trying to find prosioutto for a dish like this, or (for example) naranja agria for some yucatan or caribbean dish that i want to try. 

a few notes: the recipe, as written, is how i got it from my friend in australia. some of the workding is a little vague (example: the aforementioned "tasty cheese" and "mixed herbs"), but in all honesty - most people here are going to know the typical examples that fit the description to the cuisine.

another thing to keep in mind is that this (and nearly any other) "weeknight" dish employes a few conveniences such as canned tomatoes, "regular" ham etc.; the recipe is fine as-written, but most anyone interested enough to be here will know to "step it up," if certain ingredients are available: proscuitto, fresh-cut herbs, stock rather than beef cubes, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes etc.

these factors, and probably others, help, in my opinion to make the dish and its resulting deliciousness more "accessible" to the average home cook. i can't speak for everyone here, but i get discouraged when i see a recipe that says it HAS to have some bog list of exotic (and often expensive) ingredients that are probably not in the local grocery; said discouragement can cause one to miss out on a good meal. however, when one sees a recipe with easy ingredients and methods (as the step-by-step pix show, this is truly simple), then they're able to make it, taste it, and enjoy it - and maybe be interested enough to branch out a little and spread their wings next time, using that fresh mozzarella - or the prosciutto that they found in a specialty market on their trip to billings or great falls. or perhaps they can experiment a bit with different-yet-outstanding methods such as those described by phatch and koukouvagia. but the fact is that they would probably never have even tried it in the first place, if the recipe and methods were out of reach. being told that something has to be THIS WAY, or it will be an utter, disgusting failure, will discourage them from even trying.

in short, dishes such as this are what i like to call "gateways" for people who like to cook, like to take something accessible and make a delicious meal, and then improve on it in every way that they can. such successes lead to greater interest, and the fostering of a desire to improve and hone their cooking skills.

thoughts?

zoji & iluv - let me know how you like it, and please feel free to ask if you have any questions. it's a good one!

chefed - please note to the discussion subsequent to the opening post; this is a very versatile recipe that i received from a friend in australia. i provided the recipe as i recevied it from him, and then prepared my interpretation of it, based partially on what is availabile in my one-horse town, and partially on pure whim.