Kitchen Doorknobs: Bringing my favorites home ...

I've been insanely busy lately and when I get insanely busy, I always end up at my local favorite stand-by. Papa Razzi. Papa Razzi is part of a group of Boston restaurants run by the Back Bay Restaurant Group that includes italian, seafood, american bistro, steak, and (my most favorite after Papa Razzi) french bistro.

I've tried a number of things on the menu and have thoroughly enjoyed them all but my favorite meal typically begins with a caprese salad, followed up by mozzarella fritta, completed by penne con pollo.

For this month's challenge, I decided to recreate those dishes, nix the caprese (fresh mozzarella + heirloom tomatoes + basil)

Mozzarella fritta:

fresh mozzarella, sliced and patted to remove excess water
flour
eggs
milk
panko bread crumbs
parmesan cheese
salt, pepper
olive oil (or canola for frying)

Create a dredging station, first dredging plate should be flour, second should be (1) large egg + small bit of milk whisked, third plate should be panko breadcrumbs combined with 1/3 cup parmesan cheese + salt + pepper.

Dredge the sliced mozzarella and then bring (1) cup of oil to temperature. Fry on medium high heat until golden brown. I typically serve with some marinara sauce (always have some in the fridge) and maybe some fresh basil.

I also made penne con pollo. This is a delicious, simple recipe of penne (or ziti) sauteed with juicy delicious chicken, asparagus, plum tomatoes, garlic white wine & butter sauce.

Penne con pollo:

1-lb chicken breast (or tenders)
Asparagus
(4) plum tomatoes
(3) cloves garlic, sliced
Penne or ziti
Salt + pepper
Crushed dried red pepper
(3) tbsp butter
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tsp paprika

Cut chicken into 1" pieces, combine with some olive oil, pepper, paprika. Boil ziti/penne. In a saute pan, saute the pieces of chicken until seared/slightly brown. Add in garlic and saute for one-minute. Add in cut asparagus, tomatoes and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Add in wine, butter, salt + pepper. Tomatoes will break down, sauce will thicken, add in sprinkle of dried red pepper before serving.