Chicken Pagan

In the late 1940s, while he was working as a pastry chef in New York City, Camillo Sidoli began dreaming of owning his own restaurant. Soon, however, a wee problem entered the picture: In 1951 Lawton Carver, a syndicated sports columnist, and Mike Manuche, a college football standout and Pacific War hero, had opened a Camillo’s Restaurant, so named for unknown reasons, that was attracting such big-name sports celebrities as boxer Rocky Graziano and New York Yankees shortstop Phil Rizzuto.

Sidoli got around the problem by naming his new restaurant Villa Camillo. It opened in 1952 at 142 East 55th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue, with the name emblazoned on a green canopy out front. Soon such famous Italians as opera star Ezio Pinza and motion-picture actress Silvana Mangano were finding their way to Villa Camillo, which one reviewer described in this way: “Past a photo gallery of Italy’s wonders—including some of her shapeliest movie queens—you are guided to a spacious and attractive dining room, where a small army of red-jacketed waiters is drawn up in battle array.”

In the mid-1950s, however, plans were drawn to raze the building on 48th Street that housed Villa Camillo, and Sidoli was forced to move. He found new space nearby at 160 East 48th Street and opened Camillo Restaurant there on February 27, 1956. (The other Camillo’s was to be rechristened Mike Manuche’s at around the same time, clearing the way for Sidoli to use the name.) White Rock Beverages featured Sidoli himself in newspaper ads for its sparkling water and ginger ale. “The same fine staff serves you at famous Camillo’s now located at 160 East 48th Street,” the ad said. “In their beautiful new dining rooms you can enjoy food that is better than ever. Visit Camillo’s and try Broiled Veal Chop en Papillote, or delicious Scampi.”

Camillo Restaurant would enjoy a fleeting moment of fame when it was used for a scene in The World of Henry Orient, a 1964 American comedy film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Peter Sellers. Later that year Wanda Hale, the longtime film critic of the New York Daily News, took actor Robert Taylor there to interview him over lunch. “The food was delicious, the service excellence, and our host, Camillo, charming,” she later wrote. Bob thanked me for taking him there….And he extracted some culinary secrets from Camillo painlessly. As a rule, getting a culinary secret from Camillo is like extracting blood from the old turnip.”

Sidoli closed Camillo Restaurant in 1965 but apparently couldn’t stay out of the business for long, as a little more than a year later he opened a new Camillo’s in Beekman Tower at 5 Mitchell Place. He died in 1990 at age 80.

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Camillo Sidoli opened Camillo Restaurant at 160 East 48th Street in New York City on February 27, 1956. "As a rule," Wanda Hale, the longtime film critic of the New York Daily News, would later write, "getting a culinary secret from Camillo is like extracting blood from the old turnip.” Fortunately, though, Sidoli wasn't as stingy with his "secrets" as Hale suggested. Here's his recipe for Chicken Pagan, one of the restaurant's most popular specialties.

Ingredients

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 6 thin slices prosciutto
• 6 bay leaves
• 6 teaspoons chopped chicken liver
• 6 to 8 tablespoons (3 to 4 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 tablespoons (1/4 pound) unsalted butter, divided
• ½ cup all-purpose flour for dredging
• Juice of 1 lemon (about three tablespoons)
• 1 1/2 cups white Chablis wine
• 8 ounces thinly sliced mushrooms

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2

Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment or plastic wrap. Using a mallet or rolling pin, pound each one to an even thickness of about 1/4 inch.

3

Place 1 slice of prosciutto over each flattened chicken breast. Place a bay leaf on top, leaving the stem extended so that it may be removed before serving. Spread 1 teaspoon of the chopped chicken liver over the top of the prosciutto, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, roll tight, and dredge in flour. Set aside.

4

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Place the rolled-up chicken breasts in the skillet seam-side down and sauté until golden brown, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Turn and cook for another 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

5

Place the rolled-up chicken breasts in a baking dish. Put the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake 35 to 45 minutes.

6

Meanwhile, in the same skillet, add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, lemon juice, Chablis, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

7

When chicken is done, pour the mushroom sauce over the rolled-up chicken breasts, and serve hot, making sure that the bay leaves are removed.

Notes

Don't forget to remove the bay leaves from the rolled-up chicken portions before serving.