Chicken piccata

For ➍
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, butterflied (halved horizontally)
30 all-purpose flour, sifted
coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs unsalted butter
2-3 tbs dry white wine
3 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tbs salt-packed capers, soaked in water for 20 m, then drained, rinsed, & drained again
1 tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Place chicken between plastic wrap or in plastic bag. Pound evenly until about 0.5 cm thick.*
Spread flour in a shallow dish; season with 1 ts salt and ¼ ts pepper; whisk to combine. Place chicken in seasoned flour, turning to coat thoroughly, then tap off the excess.
Heat the oil and 1 tbs butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter starts to sizzle. Cook the chicken in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan (the cutlets should fit snugly in a single layer) until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 m for each side. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the cutlet. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Pour out any excess fat from the pan.
Return pan to medium heat and add wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 30 s. (If the liquid is reducing too quickly, before all the browned bits have been incorporated, remove the pan from the heat.) Remove the pan from the heat. Add lemon juice, capers, and remaining 2 tbs butter and swirl until melted and combined, then add parsley and season with salt as desired.***
Immediately pour the sauce over the chicken, and serve.***

*Or put the chicken between sheets of wax paper. Pound it with a hammer or a pan or use a rolling pin.
**Shallots or garlic can be added with capers and slices of lemon. After reduction, butter is stirred in to finish the sauce.
***Serve it, like the Italians, after the pasta as secondo. Serve with vegetables or a salad.

Several authorities believe the name veal piccata, like chicken Parmesan and pasta primavera, was coined by Italian Americans in the United States in the 1930s.
Piccata is an Italian word, the feminine form of the word piccato, meaning 'larded'. It is also spelled picatta or pichotta. It is a translation of the French piqué, participle of piquer. When used in reference to a way of preparing food, particularly meat or fish, it means 'sliced, sautéed, and served in a sauce containing lemon, butter and spices'. In Italian, piccata dishes are often referred to using the umbrella term, scaloppine, of which piccata constitutes just one variety.
Traditionally, the Italians use veal (piccata di vitello al limone) or swordfish (pesce spada con capperi e limone). In the USA, the best known dish of this sort uses chicken (hence: chicken piccata). In the United States, it is usually served with a starch, such as pasta, polenta, or rice.
Try a quick chicken piccata recipe.

New York hot apple cider

For ➑ mugs
1.5 l (American) apple cider
100 g brown sugar, tightly packed
¼ ts salt
1 ts whole allspice
1 ts cloves
3 sticks cinnamon (or ground cinnamon)
1 dash of nutmeg

Combine all the spices in a tea-egg (or wrap in a cheesecloth).
Pour cider in a large saucepan. Add sugar and salt. Add spices. Bring slowly to a boil.
Turn down the heat to a simmer for 20 m.
Discard spices.
Add cinnamon stick (or sprinkle ground cinnamon) to each mug.

*When reheating, don't boil.
**Add dried apple for full taste.

American apple cider differs a bit from traditional European cider, called hard cider in the USA: it is unfiltered, unfermented and, sometimes, unpasteurized. Thus it's closer to fresh apple juice than to a alcoholic drink. Cider has been milled in the Eastern states since colonial days, and is frequently used in traditional recipes.
American cider is almost unaivailable outside the USA. Nevertheless, this drink can be made with sweet European apple cider. Avoid boiling.
Picture shows a wintery 5th Avenue in New York City, captured by Alfred Stieglitz.

Pastrami & cream cheese sandwich

For ➊ sandwich
2 slices of bread, white or wholemeal
100 g cream cheese
a few salad leaves or gherkin slices
4 pastrami slices

Spread the cream cheese evenly on the 2 bread slices.

Place the lettuce leaves on one slice of bread.

Add the pastrami on top and close the sandwich by placing the other slice on top.

*Add gherkin and mustard at the last moment for a version closer to the American classic.

Pastrami came to the US with immigrants from Romania. The name was coined to sound like 'salami' in New York City in 1887 by Jewish butcher Reb Sussman after he was given the recipe by a Romanian immigrant. He introduced the classic warm pastrami rye sandwich and soon opened the first New York deli. The pastrami sandwich, stuffed with a gargantuan amount of beef immigrants had never known in Europe, became a celebration of the rich new country. This recipe is a modest variation on the meat monster.
The pastramă preservation method to brine and spice meat is related to the similar basterma, still popular in the regions of the former Ottoman empire.