Ronnie comes from a long line of exulted cooks. It’s in his DNA.

His mother Sue’s spaghetti sauce was legendary; people literally came to her house to buy it from her.  His father Sam’s homemade sopressata is still discussed in some circles.

So naturally Ronnie’s Chicken Piccata would be The Best.

This magic all happens in Monesson and West Newton, Pennsylvania, by the way. Maybe it’s the water.

Note:  This is one of those recipes that’s a list of ingredients with no measurements.  That’s how a lot of family recipes are; it assumes you have some basic knowledge and experience.  And you do!  Anyone can make this dish work, if you remember a few general guidelines:

1)  Start with less, but have more on hand.  Don’t put in a lot of salt. Put in a little. You can always eyeball it or taste it and add more.

2)  Don’t use the littlest pans you have, use the bigger ones.  Nothing’s worse than discovering you have to change pans, mid-way through. Or sticking with the small pan, and not being able to stir it properly because it will spill over the sides.

3) Always start with lower heat when you’re sauteing something. You can always turn the heat up, or just take a longer time to cook it.  Once the heat gets too high and things start burning or cooking too fast on the outside, you are in a cooking feak-out.

4)  Cook on a gas stove like the real chefs do.  Ditch the electric if you want real control.