Chicken Maryland with Corn Red Pepper Pudding and Fried Bananas #SundaySupper

This was one of the most common dishes in restaurants when I was growing up, when there was not much middle ground, it was either the very fancy, expensive, sophisticated cuisine place or the neighbourhood restaurant, full of loud kids and smelling of frying oil, tomato sauce and barbecue. I rarely went to the former, my parents not fond of eating out nor particularly foodie types.

Chicken à la Maryland, how it appeared in the menu from what I recall, was pretty popular. It´s no doubt a retro recipe in every way, from the deep frying to the combination of flavors. I liked it and so did my older brother. So for us it was a treat. I suspect because we never ate it at home.

Retro Food is the theme of today´s Sunday Supper table. After baking from our bucket lists and then celebrating a birthday, so far the year with this group is turning up to be a feast for me, since I am loving the recipes I´m making. 
The idea of making chicken maryland for this blog would never have happened otherwise. Why? It´s a fried chicken milanesa (breaded fried breast) with creamed corn, fried bananas and a piece of roasted red pepper. Sometimes a thin slice of ham came on top of the chicken and below the `decorative´ red pepper. Not a leaf of any kind in sight. Amazing how people survived in those years. And I bet they were healthier than us in many ways.

Anyway, I did a couple of modern twists to the whole thing, while retaining it´s essence. The addition of a sliced tomato was the inevitable thing to happen after plating all those monochromatic ingredients. I couldn´t possibly eat that without something fresh to balance it a bit. 
My mother had come to lunch and she even suggested going across the street to the supermarket and buying some parsley so I could liven it up for the picture; finally I found some chives and sprinkled them on top.

This chicken maryland 2013 consists of a corn and roasted red pepper pudding, baked chicken breast fingers coated in panko crumbs and bananas sautéed in a little butter. And a tomato.

Let me tell you the pudding is great on it´s own, with some ricotta, parmesan and roasted peppers that I charred myself. The blackening of red peppers is a fun thing to do, you get to put it directly over the flame and play around with it until it´s all charred and soft. You get to play with fire, when was the last time you were allowed to do that? 
I used medium custard cups and a small one that would go well in the plate. But the best way to make this is as a big pudding and serve it by spoonfulls family-style. Made in small cups it looses a lot of that creamy consistency.

The chicken fingers are easy to make and there´s nothing like panko to achieve the maximum crunchiness. I dip them in egg and water, then in panko, and do it twice. Then the tiniest drops of olive oil and into the oven they go.
The banana was sliced and sautéed in some butter, because there´s no healthy way to do that. It must be done at the last possible minute because they soften up quickly. By the time I started taking pictures they were getting uglier by the second.

Finally we sat down to eat, a weird dish for today´s way of eating, especially the way I eat. The tomato was a perfect addition and almost necessary. But once I had my fork with some chicken, a piece of banana, tomato and some corn pudding on top, it was very good. Not greasy at all and a flavor that I had forgotten about. Especially the banana.

The corn pudding was the best part, and qualified as a meal on it´s own. Coming out of the oven it looks puffed like a half risen soufflé. You have to take it out while it still barely jiggles, so the center is soft but cooked and creamy. And you can add anything to it, even ham, cooked chicken, other veggies.


CHICKEN MARYLAND

Panko crusted chicken breast fingers

Fried banana

Corn and Roasted red pepper pudding

Sliced Tomato

Chives for sprinkling

Make corn pudding first. While it´s baking, prepare chicken and cook in the same oven.

Fry bananas and arrange half a chicken breast, half a banana, one serving of corn pudding and ½ tomato on each plate. Sprinkle with olive oil and chives.

Serves 4.

CORN AND ROASTED RED PEPPER PUDDING

adapted from Country Weekend Entertaining , by Anna Pump

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen (defrosted)

1 cup ricotta

2 eggs

2 Tbs butter, melted

½ cup cream

1 ½ Tbs flour

½ teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste

½ Tbs sugar

3 Tbs grated parmesan cheese + 1 Tbs for sprinkling

½ cup chopped roasted red peppers

Directions

Prepare red peppers: Put the washed pepper directly on the flame. With kitchen thongs, turn it constantly, charring it as much as you can. Let cool and peel scraping it with a knife or spoon. Some skin won´t come off, that´s ok. Cut it in half and take out seeds and veins. Wash the pepper and dry carefully with paper towels.

Chopp ¼ of it for the pudding. Cut the rest in large chunks, put in a plastic container, cover with olive oil and cover tightly. Refrigerate for another use.

For pudding: Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Put corn, ricotta, eggs, cream, flour, salt, pepper and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until well mixed, about 30 seconds.

Take the blade out and add peppers and 3 Tbs parmesan. Mix with a spoon or spatula and check seasoning. You can also tranfer the mixture to a bowl before adding the peppers, but you´ll have an extra bowl to wash.

Transfer corn mixture to four 1-cup ramekins or 4-cup souffle dish. Sprinkle with remaining Tbs parmesan cheese and bake for 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

PANKO CRUSTED CHICKEN FINGERS

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts

2 cups panko breadcrumbs, or more

3 eggs

4 or 5 Tbs water

Salt and pepper

Olive oil for baking

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Oil a baking tray.

Clean chicken breast and cut into strips. Put panko in a shallow plate and season with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add water and mix well.

Take chicken strips, dip them in the egg and coat them completely in the panko. Repeat with the egg dipping and panko coating. Be sure the panko is well adhered. Some of it might remain in the egg after the second dipping.

Arrange in prepared tray, drizzle with drops of more olive oil and bake for 10 minutes. Turn over and bake for 5 or 10 more minutes, until golden.

FRIED BANANA

2 bananas

4 teaspoons butter

Peel bananas and cut into ¾ inch slices. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and add bananas. Cook 1 minute on each side.

Do this a the last minute, preferably after the chicken is done.

Here is a list of amazing recipes to take you back in time:

Sunday Supper Retro Appetizers:

§                     Irish Cheddar-Whiskey Fondue by girlichef

§                     She Devils: Beet Pickled Deviled Eggs by Ruffles & Truffles

Sunday Supper Retro Salads:

§                     Coca-Cola Salad by Magnolia Days

§                     Salmon Salad | Retro Tuna Salad by Family Foodie

§                     Ambrosia Salad by Simply Gourmet

§                     Romaine “Wedge” Salad with Hot Maple Bacon Dressing by Cupcakes & Kale Chips

§                     Carrot & Raisin Salad by The Roxx Box

§                     Sweet & Smoky Broccoli Salad by In The Kitchen with KP

Sunday Supper Retro Breads and Sandwiches:

§                     Italian Style Bread by The Meltaways

§                     Creamed Chipped Salmon Jerky on Toast by Pescetarian Journal

§                     Grown-Up Tuna Melts by Home Cooking Memories

§                     English Muffin Pizzas by Comfy Cuisine

§                     Patty Melt, Hand Cut Fries, & a Shake by Mooshu Jenne

§                     Grown-Up Grilled Cheese With Tomato Soup by Catholic Foodie

§                     Toast Topper #16: Grandma’s Mock Apricot Jam by What Smells So Good?

SundaySupper Main Dishes:

§                     Chicken Pot Pie Topped With Bacon Cheddar Biscuits by Chocolate Moosey

§                     Tuna Noodle Casserole by Country Girl in the Village

§                     Nana’s Marinated Beef Roast by Supper for a Steal

§                     Chorizo Scotch Eggs by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen

§                     Chicken Maryland by Vintage Kitchen Notes

§                     Mushroom Stroganoff by Small Wallet Big Appetite

§                     Dairyfree Toast Hawaii by Galactosemia in PDX

§                     Porcupine Meatballs by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

§                     Chicken Kiev by The Urban Mrs.

§                     Salmon Quiche with Preserved Lemon by Shockingly Delicious

§                     Steak Diane by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends

§                     Fried Chicken only in the Oven by In the Kitchen with Audrey

§                     Hambak Steak a.k.a. Salisbury Steak by Kimchi Mom

§                     Retro-Redo: Homemade TV Dinner by The Little Ferraro Kitchen

§                     Kicked Up Meatloaf by Curious Cuisiniere

§                     Shrimp Scampi (a lighter version) by Kudos Kitchen

§                     Old-Fashioned Pork Chops by My Trials in the Kitchen

§                     Jägerschnitzel by Sustainable Dad

§                     Healthier Hamburger-Corn Noodle Casserole by The Weekend Gourmet

§                     Inspired by Tuna Noodle Casserole by Cookistry

§                     Chicken-N-Biscuits Pot Pie Casserole by The Messy Baker Blog

§                     Souper Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes by Mama.Mommy.Mom

§                     Meatloaf that will make you swoon and Datz the truth by Midlife Roadtrip

§                     Spaghetti with Currywurst Sauce by Masala Herb

§                     Tator Tot Casserole by NeighborFood

Sunday Supper Retro Sides and Veggies:

§                     Smokey Braised Red Cabbage by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

§                     Classic Corn Casserole by The Foodie Army Wife

§                     Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Balsamic by Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

§                     Classic Green Bean Casserole Redux by The Wimpy Vegetarian

§                     Mem’s Broccoli Casserole by Momma’s Meals

Sunday Supper Retro Desserts and Cocktails:

§                     Peachy Keen Tutti-Frutti Jello by La Cocina de Leslie

§                     Old School Boozy Rum Cake by Webicurean

§                     Individual Baked Alaskas by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

§                     Rainbow Jello by Cravings of a Lunatic

§                     Pineapple Upside Down Cake by Noshing with the Nolands

§                     Pineapple Bars by Peanut Butter and Peppers

§                     Creamy Dairy Free Fresh Orange Julius With Coconut Milk  by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

§                     Refrigerator Strawberry Cheesecake by There and Back Again

§                     Frozen Pineapple Upside-Down Cake by Juanita’s Cocina

§                     Boston Cream Pie by Gotta Get Baked

§                     Coca-Cola Cupcakes by Daily Dish Recipes

§                     Jello Poke Cake by Flour On My Face

§                     Devil’s Food Cake by Maroc Mama

§                     Bread Pudding with Pecans by Basic and Delicious

§                     Victoria Sponge Cake by The Lovely Pantry

§                     A Chocolate Twist on the Classic Japanese Strawberry Shortcake by Ninja Baking

§                     Post War Apple Pudding by My Cute Bride

§                     Layered Mini Chocolate Banana Cakes by Big  Bears Wife

§                     Raspberry Jam Cakes by Pippis in the Kitchen Again

§                     Cocktail: Moscow Mule by Crazy by Crazy Foodie Stunts

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET and you do not want to miss out on the fun. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

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