"A kid comes up to me in a white jacket, gives me a Ritz cracker, and uh, chopped liver, he says, 'Canapes.'"

"I said, uh, 'can of peas, my ass, that's a Ritz cracker and chopped liver! - Frank Pentangeli

Sorry for the long absence, folks. It's been a little crazy this new year.

Last night we followed up with our Godfather friends and watched The Godfather, Part II at their place. For starters we had these amazing stuffed cherry peppers from Salumeria Italiana on Richmond Street in the North End. They were pickled hot peppers stuffed with prosciutto and I think provolone cheese. Fantastic flavor. The olives were also excellent - and they came in a great variety with different olives, caper berries and sun-dried tomatoes.

For dinner, our friends made chicken parmesan, using breaded chicken breasts, pounded nice and thin, pan-fried in olive oil and then finished in the oven. Their sauce was different from my husband's: they used the same mirepoix, added tomatoes, garlic and basil, but they pureed it to get a smooth sauce. My husband leaves his sauce chunky, mostly because he can't be bothered with pureeing it, and also uses red pepper flakes and red wine. Our friends' sauce came out with a more up-front and robust tomato flavor and a touch of sweetness, which matched very nicely with the chicken parm. Oh, and there was a secret ingredient to the chicken parm. When I put the first bite in my mouth, it tasted like bacon, my favorite thing in the whole world of food. Turns out the smoky flavor came from smoked mozzarella, which they put on the chicken pieces while they finished in the oven. What a marvelous idea - the chicken got a distinct smoky flavor that was almost reminiscent of a wood grill!

I was hoping I would be able to share their recipe for chicken parm, but given the intense nature of the "who's a better Italian husband" competition, I didn't ask for it. Maybe they'll post it on the comments...