Italian and Mexican plates alongside a plain-cooked kids menu

Chicken breasts Milano go through egg and parmesan rather than breadcrumb, which is why the crust looks blistered and uneven instead of sandy. I sear them in a wide pan so the cheese sets before the meat has any chance to dry, and the arugula, shaved parmesan and cherry tomatoes ride in their own container. Wet greens sitting on a hot crust would undo the whole thing within an hour.

The shredded chicken and salsa verde soup is what I cook when somebody in the house is under the weather, and it is close to the traditional caldo the first kitchen I worked in made every week. Tomatillo and cilantro are blitzed raw, the hot broth goes over them rather than the other way round, and the avocado is fanned in last so it does not go grey. It travels with lime on the side instead of squeezed through.

Reheating splits by texture here. Truffle Parmesan baked baby potatoes and the chicken breasts Milano want 400°F for ten minutes uncovered, so both crusts come back. Flounder with lemony butter beans and the Spanish garlic paprika shrimp need 325°F for six minutes, covered, or they turn rubbery. The scalions black rice is the only thing that takes a microwave without complaint.