Hey now there is a nice plate of food...
A little Sunday excess on my part..I was going to be away for three days on business so I went into overdrive cooking
on Sunday.  Left the family plenty of food for the week, they appreciate it. My choices were a chicken dish and some
penne with a Sunday sauce , meatballs, and sausage.  You really do not need all that meat at one seating, but,
it was Sunday...and I knew I wasn't going to cook again until Thursday,  OCD kicking in high gear here.... There were
three whole boneless chicken breasts in the fridge, the kind in the big family pack that need a butcher's (or your
own if you carefully trim the meat yourself) love.  I HATE when you are served a 2 inch thick breast, unless it is
sliced thinly, as an entree.  TOO THICK.  I make a pocket in these breasts, slicing crosswise thru them but leaving
on side attached.  This makes a nice pouch for stuffing then baking. I also had a 2 pint container of Caciocavallo
Ragusano, a particular type of Caciocavallo which comes from Sicily.   If you can get your hands on it, you will find
it is the bridge between a pecorino and a provolone, somewhere in the middle of those two great cheeses. 
    This is what is looks like in its' whole form.  The chances of you buying or
seeing it like that, unless you are in Sicily will be rare.  The Salumeria and Delis that carry it usually have it sliced
or cut down into smaller sizes, or in grated or shredded cups.  I devised this recipe a la minute...on the fly...opened
up the fridge and saw what I had...such a great way to cook.  This is a relatively simple one pan dish that will
produce extremely flavorful and satisfying results.  Each breast will serve 1-2 people, you know who you cook for,
so, let that be your guide.  First make the stuffing.  1/2 cup grated caciocavallo, 2 tsp. freshly and finely minced
oregano, 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper, 1/8 cup finely minced dry Italian sausage...not the fresh kind..2 tbs.
of good breadcrumbs. Mix all of this together.  Now add enough olive oil to make a paste.  Set this aside.
Add 1/8 cup of small diced provolone, caciocavallo, or mozzarella to this
and blend well.

Slit three large trimmed boneless breast to make a pocket.  Stuff the cheese mixture evenly amongst the three breast.
The press the sides together and lay them in a baking pan.  Add 1/8 cup of white
wine, drizzle well with olive oil. Make a paste of 1 clove of garlic, 1 anchovy filet, 1/8 tsp. of fresh parsley.  Mix this into the
pan and salt and pepper the chicken.  Heat your oven to 375 and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.  Then baste with
the pan juices.  Let it bake for additional 5 minutes.  Baste again, and then sprinkle more grated caciocavallo over the
chicken along with 1 tsp. of bread crumbs per chicken brest.  Let this cook for additional 10 minutes.  The top should be
a crusty golden brown.  Baste again with the pan juices and add 2 sprigs of fresh oregano, cover, and let sit for 6 minutes
before serving.  When you cut into it, the smell is lovely and redolent of Southern Italy.


Baste before serving, slice on the bias and serve about 5 slices cut into 1/8 inch slices over baby arugula.  Wow.
What flavor these breasts had.  If only I could attach a virtual smell device which would allow you to experience the
aroma that came off of the chicken, and the subsequent taste!  The macaroni on the plate is utterly superfluous.  So
not necessary.  Who cares?  I did it anyway and I'm not ashamed.  However, for you more level headed and less
obsessed types out there, a seasoned orzo side goes really well with this. 

The last 5 or so blogposts took me away from my Italian-American roots, so time to come back and celebrate them
again with this easy and highly flavored dish.  From my kitchen to yours...some good Imported Italian ingredients
will have your diners asking for ..."just one more slice, please".



  The arugula sets it off, makes
all the flavors pop...