#Travelodgefoodies – Parmo Recipe, A Taste of the North East

A long time ago (well that’s how it feels now), I lived in Newcastle Upon Tyne. I spent two years there after I’d finished uni working as a barmaid and then a waitress. I loved my time there, Newcastle is city steeped in heritage, a great place to shop and a fantastic night out. I have fantastic memories of these nights out, when I was young and stupid and didn’t come home until dawn. But a night out in Newcastle was never complete without a parmo to eat drunkenly while sat on a kitchen floor. A parmo with extra cheesy chips, there is nothing I loved more while completely intoxicated on snake bite and black, because yes, I was super classy back then. I thought you could get parmo everywhere, but in actual fact it’s a North East delicacy that originated in Middlesbrough and today I’m going to tell you how to make it.

In case you’re wondering just what parmo is, it’s breaded chicken smothered with bechamel sauce and topped with a lot of cheese. It’s a crunchy, creamy and cheesy version of katsu chicken, what more could you want? It’s a firm favourite in our house now i’ve perfected making it however LM prefers her chicken cut up and then breaded so it’s like chicken strips in a cheesy sauce, which to her is much more interesting than pasta!

Ingredients
40g Butter
20g Plain Flour
400ml Milk
1 tsp Nutmeg
Salt
4 Chicken Fillets
1 Egg
200g Bread Crumbs
Vegetable Oil
150g Grated Cheddar Cheese

To Serve
Broccoli
2 Large Potatoes, cooked as chips

• Make up the chips first by peeling the potatoes and cutting into batons. Part boil, drain and then pat dry. Spread out on an oven tray, lightly coat in oil, season and put in to cook for half an hour (I use gas mark 6).
• Then make the bechamel sauce; melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Sieve in the flour while continuously stirring until it’s smooth.
• In a separate pan until just before it reaches boiling point. Then slowly add it to the pan with the flour and butter, again stir continuously until it is smooth. Season with salt and nutmeg then set to the side.
• Lay out some greaseproof paper and lie all four fillets on it then place another sheet of greaseproof paper on top. Using a rolling pin flatten the chicken.
• Beat the egg in a bowl and coat the chicken fillets, then coat in the breadcrumbs.
• In another pan heat the vegetable oil, make sure you use enough to completely coat the fillets so they fry evenly. Once cooked place them on some kitchen towel to drain.
• Place the chicken in an over proof dish, pour over the bechamel sauce and top with the grated cheese. Then pop under the grill until the cheese is golden brown.
• Serve with the chips and steamed broccoli (because broccoli is amazing with cheese!)

If you’re looking to try other North East dishes, Travelodge have put together a great post all about the rich food heritage of Newcastle. I’ve personally loved revisiting one of my old favourites from when I lived there that has now become a new favourite in our house! Or, even better, why not get yourself checked into on of the Travelodge hotels up here and come try the food for yourself?

What’s your favourite local dish from the area you live in?