Hurricane Irma and an Italian Ricotta Pie
Christi HymelShare
I do love traveling. But. I do miss a few things when I’m away from home-mainly cooking. There are few things I enjoy as much as going into the kitchen, putting on my apron and gathering all the necessary items I’ll need to cook a meal. Cooking is my diversion from the hustle bustle of life, a way of relieving stress and spending uninterrupted time focusing on creating something wonderful for my family. A few years ago when Hurricane Irma was bearing down on Florida, I took refuge in my kitchen doing the only the thing I knew to do to release the stress of that event. The hype over the largest ever named hurricane on record was taking its toll. The grocery store shelves were bare. The SEC had canceled the upcoming Florida Gator game, and most serious of all, the happiest place on earth was closing! Never in the history of all things Florida had the latter two events occurred simultaneously. It was BIBLICAL. EPIC. And definitely anxiety producing. So what did I do? I baked. A most beautiful Italian Ricotta Pie. To this day I’ve never been able to reproduce that pie. It must have been that all my fears, anxieties and helpless feelings helped to fuel baking abilities I didn’t know I had. In the process of baking, I forgot all about Hurricane Irma. The pie was a masterpiece. But I digress. So what will I first cook once I make it back to Masters Blvd? Easy. Pan-fried, thinly pounded chicken cutlets that have been breaded with freshly grated breadcrumbs and fresh parsley. Lightly fried in olive oil, butter, shallots and garlic with a drizzle of lemon juice. Chicken cooked like this needs no sauce but I probably won’t be able to stop myself from sautéing some mushrooms in white wine to go along with it. That’s all I’ll need. And maybe a slice of Italian Ricotta Pie.