This Irish Lass is No Italian Mama

Have you ever tried to make something you saw on a tv cooking show?  I attempted to do just that last night. All I can say is -- do they make things look easy and delicious on tv or what?

We used to watch a lot of Rachael Ray on the Food Network, but since we cut our cable we don't get our regular Rachael fixes. However, there's this Italian cooking show on PBS, and sometimes we tune in to watch Lidia whip up a fantastic feast. Too bad you can't smell through the television, because she cooks up the most delicious-looking meals, and as you watch you can just imagine the aromas in her kitchen.

There's a dish she made that looked especially good to my husband; he videotaped the show so that we could watch it again and get the ingredients to make the dish ourselves. For this particular episode, Lidia cooked with her mother, making her mother's recipe for chicken with potatoes in a skillet. They used chicken, potatoes, oil, onions, and rosemary. It looked incredibly easy. She used a skillet and tongs -- I can handle that. Piece of cake. I bought the ingredients and planned to make it for my hubby's birthday dinner, a day late.

After buying the ingredients, I printed out the surprisingly lengthy instructions from Lidia's web site. You can tell by watching the tv episode that this is something her mother has made for years, and she just knows what to do when, from all her cooking experience. The translation from Lidia's mother's head to the recipe sheet was rather complex, at least to me.

".... Let the chicken fry in place for several minutes to brown on the underside, then turn and continue frying until they’re golden brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes or more. Fry breast pieces, only for 5 minutes or so, taking them out of the oil as soon as they are golden..........Fry and crisp the potatoes for about 4 minutes to form a crust, then move them around the pan, still cut side down, until they’re all brown and crisp, 7 minutes or more. Turn them over and fry another 2 minutes to cook and crisp on their rounded skin sides.............  Return the chicken pieces—except breast pieces—to the pan, along with the bacon rolls; pour in any chicken juices that have accumulated. Raise the heat slightly, and carefully turn and tumble the chicken, potatoes, onion (and bacon and /or pepper pieces), so they’re heating and getting coated with pan juices—but take care NOT to break the potato pieces.........    Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 7 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, then uncover and tumble the pieces and potatoes (and bacon rolls) again. Cover and cook another 7 minutes or so, adding the breast pieces at this point. And give everything another tumble. Now cook covered for 10 minutes more. Remove the cover, turn the pieces again and cook in the open skillet for about 10 minutes to evaporate the moisture and caramelize everything."

7.... 10... 2... 4.... 7...7...10...10....

At one point I forget which 7 minute interval I was on, so I threw in a few more minutes. After a while, with all the turning and tossing I was doing with the tongs, my arm was getting sore.  How pathetic is that?  I was worried that I'd overcook the meat, which I ended up doing in the end.

The recipe made a lot of chicken and potatoes. So, if you want some overcooked left-overs come on over!

I've found just the right cookbook for me to learn Italian cooking.

For now, though, I'll stick to making Tollhouse cookies. I just took a batch out of the oven -- can you smell them?

Comments

[Caltechgirl]

yes I can

Damn you! :)

[david]

saying hello from the meet n greet
bless you for trying to cook...

[shish]

I bet it was still delicious. And even if it was overcooked...there was dessert which I bet was wonderful. As you know, I can't cook to save my life, but I'm blessed with a family of excellent Italian cooks. Come over to my aunt's or grandma's for a lesson anytime!

[Mrs Aginoth]

I've printed out a recipe originally shown on tv, but never tried to follow a video - their timings are impossible!

Michele sent me

[nat]

Mmmm COOKIES!

LOL. Italian cooking for dummies!

I love watching Lidia, but she makes it look so easy, then I get overwhelmed. I should just face it: I'm not Italian and I'll never cook like one!

[Anita]

Well, the ingredients look really good, but the directions seem wayyy too complicated. They could have at least numbered the steps or something to make it easier!

Don't even tell me about those Tollhouse cookies or I'll be in your driveway in no time.

[Marie]

CTG,
MMMM! Ahhhh!

David,
Thanks for stopping by!

Shish,
Well, delicious might be an exaggeration. The cake was delicious though... but I had nothing to do with making that!

Mrs. A,
I have learned this now...

Nat,
Me too! But I think I can make Italian cookies... the easy kinds! ;-)

Anita,
Come & get em! They're going in the freezer tonight!

[OldOldLady Of The Hills]

Very Very Funny...I added up the "miutes" and it was over an hour!!! THAT'S not easy, at all, is it?? LOL..Not.
I've never tried to make anything that I saw on TV only because I felt like, it was NOT going to be as easy as they say...

Here from Michele today, if it will let me leave a comment!

[Michele]

Stopping by to say hello...

One differnce between you and I is that the recipe would have scared me and I would not have even attempted such a task. However, you are so much braver in the kitchen than I. Yay you!

One similarity between you and I is that YES, I can smell them. Don't ask my secret - it is indeed a secret cookie smelling gift that I have been given. Yay me!

I love this post. Hugs from me.

[Minerva]

*snatching a fresh cookie*

Mmmmmmm - yummy!

Any of that chicken left?

Minerva