My brother-in-law’s mother and father, Grace and Berardino (Ben), were two of the most generous and hard-working people I have ever known. Italian immigrants, they arrived in the United States in the 1950s with their son and labored in numerous jobs to carve out a prosperous life.

Love and Work

Their lives revolved around their family and work, which included tending their expansive garden. It produced an ongoing flow of tomatoes, green beans, greens, beets, figs, zucchini and so much more that could be canned and stored for the winter.

Although Ben and Grace have passed away, sweet memories linger of summer days spent at their New Jersey beach house with my sister, brother-in-law and their family. On the last day of our annual vacation, Grace and Ben drove from their home in Pennsylvania to share the day with us, and she insisted on preparing dinner for everyone.

Image by Roy Stephen from Pixabay

A tiny but mighty woman, she tirelessly hustled around the kitchen, preparing a menu that always included pasta and “crispy chicken,” her grandchildren’s favorites. “Crispy chicken” referred to chicken cutlets that she dipped in flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs seasoned with spices, parsley, garlic and pecorino cheese. Then she fried them in a generous depth of olive oil and served them with a squeeze of lemon.

My kids were also big fans of the cutlets. I often tried to make them at home, but when I used oil sparingly, they didn’t cook as evenly. I also tried cooking them in the oven, but they weren’t as crispy. Since I began lightening our menus, I’ve found this is often the case when making “oven-fried” dishes.

A few years ago, I finally invested in a toaster oven-size air fryer to achieve a crispy texture without extra oil. Air fryers cook at a high temperature with little to no oil by blowing hot air around the appliance to evenly crisp food.

Image by Monika from Pixabay

Winning Over the Girls

Now that I have my own granddaughters, I experimented with a healthier version of crispy chicken for them. My three-year-old granddaughter is a tough sell on just about everything but pizza and pasta, but she asked for seconds! The magic of crispy chicken!

I’m not sure if Grace would be onboard with our version, but I bet she would appreciate that we still have such warm memories of her signature recipes.

I can almost hear her telling my granddaughter, “Mangiare (eat)!”