Doin' the Time Warp

sunday, April 6, is the start of daylight savings, the day we move our clocks forward an hour. To regain this precious time, you can either sacrifice some much-needed sleep (all in favor raise your hands), or shave a few minutes from each activity in your Sunday routine. There are some obvious economies, such as cutting in line at the grocery store or hiring a kid to prune the bushes, but others may require a little ingenuity. Try brushing your teeth with coffee-flavored toothpaste, reading the Sunday paper in church, meeting some friends for brunch at the laundromat or calling your mother from the car wash. As my contribution to this game of beat the clock, here's a succulent gourmet dish that can be prepared at a fast-food pace. GLAZED ITALIAN CHICKEN -- PRONTO (Serves 2) Ingredients 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts salt & freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup flour 1 egg 2/3 cup bread crumbs 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 3 tablespoons of fresh oregano and/or thyme (or the dried versions thereof) 2 tablespoons butter 2 lemons (1 juiced and one sliced for garnish) 1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. 2. Place chicken breasts on a sheet of wax paper with the side that used to have the skin on it face up. Using a mallet or any other blunt object (the kind you hide from intruders), pound chicken until it is 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 3. Use three separate bowls: Place flour in one, beaten egg in the second and bread crumbs, cheese and herbs, mixed, in the third. Line the three bowls in a row. 4. Roll the chicken breasts in flour until completely covered, dip in egg until well soaked, then roll in bread crumb mixture until well covered. 5. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add breaded chicken as butter starts to bubble. Cook until golden brown. Turn only once (approx. 3 - 4 minutes per side, depending on exact thickness). 6. Remove chicken from pan and place on warmed plates. 7. Remove pan from heat and add the lemon juice. Stir it around to collect the drippings and then dribble over the chicken. Garnish with a lemon twist. Le Secret: The trick is to brown the outside of the chicken, cook it throughout, yet keep the meat moist. Needless to say, it's all in the timing. Make a small incision (in your piece) to test doneness. The Adventure Club: If you save this recipe and make it in the fall on the day when you gain an hour, make your own bread crumbs. It is as simple as putting very stale French bread in a food processor and hitting the switch. This method creates coarser bread crumbs than the store-bought variety, which contribute to a tastier, more aesthetically pleasing crust. Music To Cook By: The William Tell Overture Wine: Italian Chardonnay from Tuscany A timely joke ... One day a traveling salesman was driving down a country road. In the distance, he noticed a farmer standing in his field under an apple tree, surrounded by pigs. The farmer was systematically hoisting pig after pig up to the branches so that they could eat their fill of apples. This perplexed the time-conscious salesman. When he was within earshot, he rolled down his window and shouted, "Hey mister, you could save a lot of time by shaking the tree and letting the pigs eat the apples off the ground." The farmer looked up and, in his slow-but-wise country drawl, replied: "What's time to a pig?" April 2, 1997 A R C H I V E S Previous 5 articles: "Faux" Food (03/26/97) "Big Night" Walnut Pasta (03/19/97) Hail Caesar Salad! (03/12/97) Flambéed Pineapple à la Mode (03/05/97) Tequila Shrimp Taco (02/26/97) The Surreal Gourmet archive The Surreal Gourmet's Web Site is located at http://surrealgourmet.com. New Bookmark: http://www.salonmagazine.com/food/surrealgourmet.html